Loss of Control
by picabone99
Summary: Aizen is well pleased when he can abandon what was his second choice to create the Oken and merely use that plan as a distraction while being able to implement what his research had lead him to having as his first plan. But all is not as it seems in Los Noches and even with Aizen himself. Thanksfic for clobojojo. MxM, MPREG
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own, nor do I make money from, Bleach or any of its characters. I do this solely for enjoyment purposes only. (And because I'm a sick, twisted puppy. YAY!)

**WARNINGS:** MxM, another MxM, **MPREG**, anal, fingering, oral, fight scenes, and probably a lot more that I can't think of at the moment. Sorry, but I rather suck at warnings.

**PAIRINGS: **Aizen/Ichigo, Starrk/Grimmjow

**NOTES:** This was written as a thanks fic for **clobojojo**. She was the 200th reviewer for Wedding Night Mishap and leaves absolutely wonderful reviews. She requested MPREG between Starrk/Grimmjow and left the rest up to me. Which got me to thinking about how they could have ended up together and led to this fic. Expect a lot of action in the beginning, then have it trickle off to the happy waddling parts.

Chapters will alternate viewpoints.

And always remember: if you don't like, don't read. No one is forcing you to do so. Leaving flames or hate messages just proves to others your lack of intellegence and literacy.

* * *

Ichigo didn't know why he had left the warehouse where he had found both acceptance and training from others like him. All he had known at the time was that he had left to find some space to think in, was that something deep within him was left with a deep-seated, nagging feeling that the other Visoreds simply weren't _powerful_ enough. What that lack of power had to do with him, Ichigo simply wasn't sure of. That lack that he sensed though, kept irritating him to the point that he simply had to get away from the others before he snapped and attacked them.

Which is how Ichigo found himself laying quietly on top of the Haunted Mansion's roof at an abondoned amusement park not too far away from the warehouse he had been training in as he watched the clouds flow across the bleached-out summer sky. As he lay there, Ichigo used the peace and quiet currently available to him to try and center himself again. But the more he tried to focus on bringing himself back to how he had felt just a few weeks ago, the more his attention was pulled to a part of him that felt..._lacking _or_ craving,_ as if he was missing something important to himself that would complete him. And it had all started the moment that he had managed to call his hollow mask to him under conscious control.

Letting out a deep, heartfelt sigh, Ichigo closed his eyes and rolled over onto his stomach. Giving up on trying to figure out why he felt just ever so slightly _off_ and why being around the Visored pack just irritated the heck out of him lately, Ichigo decided that taking a short nap in the day's warmth might go farther for his health with his current piece of mind than any further heavy thinking. However, Ichigo was kept from restful, forgetful slumber by a new irritation. After he had been almost asleep, Ichigo was jared out of his hazy state by the sensation that his skin was a size too small for him as well as a feeling of increased warmth that could not be simply explained away as too much time in the sun since it seemed to eminate from deep within his gut. Grumbling in irritation, Ichigo gave up on trying to get any sleep in and sat up.

'Maybe some excercise, then,' Ichigo thought to himself as he leapt off of the building's roof. 'Glad I decided to leave my body behind for the Visords to watch over. Of course, I don't plan on being out that long either, so my shinigami form is fine.'

Ichigo did a bit of stretching before he started out at an easy jog. He knew he should be working on his speed, but Ichigo decided that a slow, easy jog was better for him today. It would hopefully help him work out that too tight feeling that had over taken him on the roof, even if it did nothing for the warmth that was still blooming in his gut and starting to spread outwards thoughout the rest of his body as he moved.

Ichigo fell into a gentle pace that was easy to mantain and quickly started to zone out, losing most of his awareness of his immediate surroundings as his mind fell into a state of blissful numbess. Ichigo lost track of the time he had been doing laps of the abandoned park when he was drawn out of his mental fog by a sharp, stabbing cramp in his lower abdomin. Startled by the suddeness of the pain, Ichigo groaned loudly and wrapped his arms around his waist as he fell to his knees in front of the fun house.

Ichigo couldn't figure out what was happening to him as he became increasingly aware that he needed _something_. That he was _craving_ something that would ease the burning fire now beginning to light up his veins as he knelt on the broken path, trying to ease the horrible aches deep within his gut. Unbeknownst to Ichigo, his eyes had taken on a ring of bright, glowing amber around the pupil, contrasting sharply with the remainder of his eye which mantained its normal deep chocolate brown color. He also grew a fragment of his hollow mask around his left eye and on up into his hairline. The mask piece had stripes of bright red that started from the inner corner of his eye and fanned out until they bled into his hair, leaving red streaks it.

Ichigo looked up suddenly, drawn from his world of misery and confusion by a sense of pressure and a taste of power that made some part of him _hum_ in pleasure and acknowledgement, while also leaving Ichigo with a vague feeling that this person might be a worthy sire and would need to be tested.

'Wait..._sire_?! What the hell! Why am I thinking _that_!?'

Ichigo forced himself up onto his unsteady feet. Once up, Ichigo reached back over his shoulder and grasped Zangetsu by the hilt. Bringing his blade up in front of his body, preparing to defend himself from whatever or whoever it might be that came after him. Only to feel a sudden lack of presence that signified the other person had dissappeared. Ichigo only had a moment to sigh in relief before he collapsed to the ground once again from the pain. It felt like his guts were re-arranging themselves.

* * *

"It is as you predicted, Aizen-sama. You may find him in the abandoned amusement park."

"Thank you, Kaname."

* * *

_Well, here it is. The start of my next story. I have seven chapters done, four of which have been Beta'd. It seems like its going to be a longer story, and I would have liked to have had more chapters written before posting, but I hit my wall, which is where I can't write any further without the excitement I get from reviews, alerts, and favs. As usual for me, postings will be uploaded weekly unless otherwise warned. Which leads me to the news that next week's chapter might be up late due to me being out of town for the weekend._


	2. Chapter 2

**All warnings and disclaimers from the first chapter will apply for the entire story.**

* * *

Aizen took in the sight of his prize that was currently laying unconscious on his bed. Ichigo Kurosaki was truly a magnificant specimen and it was just too bad for the Soul Society that its higher ups viewed anyone who was not pure Shinigami as worthless, failing to provide protection to the most unique being ever.

'Those worthless, arrogant old men,' Aizen thought to himself as he brushed back Ichigo's longer than usual hair from where it lay across his closed eyes. 'Idiots the lot of them for not seeing just what a treasure the boy is. Born of a human mother and a Shinigami Taisho, soul chain shattered by another Taisho allowing the boy to become fully of the spirit world, and finally, learning to meld with his inner hollow, which, thanks to his refreshing lack of anything regarding predjudice, he was unable to block the full of effects of such a merging.'

Aizen sat down quietly on the bed, waiting patiently for Ichigo to wake up. He knew that as soon as the boy awoke, he would immediately have to prove himself to the Visored, who would be running on instincts only, with his rational mind locked down and buried deeply within him. Fortunately, Aizen had had Zangetsu secured elsewhere in the maze of Los Noches and wouldn't have to come up against it this time. Not that it would make the upcoming fight _that_ much easier since Ichigo would be channeling both Hollow and Shinigami powers, but any little bit would be appreciated.

'I will sire such powerful children upon you that my victory will be assured,' Aizen thought to himself in smug satisfaction, absentmindedly running his fingers through Ichigo's supprisingly soft hair. 'And the beauty of it is that you will have no choice. Hollows truly exemplify the expression "you are what you eat'' leaving them with the means to both impregnate and give birth, regardless of what outward appearance they show the world. The only thing that matters is the forced submission when they first show signs of sexual maturity. They will either dominate another hollow, making them an Alpha, or loose the fight against it, making them a Beta. And even then, Alphas have been known to come up pregnant if they loose out against someone stronger then themselves during mating season when the phermones are pumping out, making the hollows a little more..._intense._'

"Fortunately that will never happen here," Aizen whispered to himself with a smirk as he trailed light fingers over Kyoka Suigetsu. He was more than confident in his abilities to force the submission of the younger male, but with the aid of his zanpakuto it could be done much faster and with less exhaustion than a normal mating fight, allowing more energy for the actual mating. As Aizen rested quietly on the bed, waiting patiently for Ichigo to stir and signal the beginning of the claiming fight, he lost himself in visions of a glorious future. A future where he sat in commanding glory on the King's throne with Ichigo reclining on pillows at his feet as he rested, ripe and heavily rounded with a litter of cubs.

"You will be my key to that vision," Aizen breathed out. "The fools in command may be obsessed with the Oken, but thanks to my delving into the most ancient records, I know that there is another way. 'By the mastery of Three, shall the King find the Key.' Such a curious little sentence it was-"

Aizen was jolted out of his remeniscing by Ichigo waking up all at once and immediately springing out of bed, hissing loudly as he did so.

"It appears to be time," Aizen said with confidence as he smoothly stood and turned until he was facing the hissing, snarling creature that Ichigo had transformed into, resoluting ignoring the state of undress Ichigo was in and the arousal that could be clearly seen jutting up from fiery orange curls. The moment that they made eye contact, Ichigo sprung foward, reaching out to slash with fingernails that had evolved into razor-sharp talons. Aizen calmly deflected the talons off to one side with Kyoka Suigetsu before using his sheath to hit Ichigo in the side. Ichigo let out a screech as he spun around and kicked Aizen in the face in retaliation. Aizen let out a deep grunt as he flew back, crashing hard into the wall behind him before sliding down to the floor.

Ichigo flung his red-steaked mane of hair back and let out a strident chittering noise as he raised his reiatsu and began to let it flare and pulse, using it to try and entice more potential mates to do battle with. Aizen flashed a smug grin, before sliding a hand down Kyoka Suigetsu.

"Oh no, little one. We shan't be having any one else interfere. You _will_ be mine."

And with that said, Aizen drew on the power of Kyoka Suigetsu to create the illusion that the room and its occupants did not exist, ensuring that he would be the only one vying for control of the powerful Visored. Aizen was so determined to keep Ichigo to himself that he failed to note how much power it was taking to mask the mating call as he drew power away from other illusions.

Gathering his legs underneath him, Aizen sprung foward, managing to catch Ichigo by surprise as he grabbed the Visored about the middle and used his weight and momentum to force the younger, lighter male to the floor under him. Ichigo's surprise didn't last that long because as soon as they hit the floor, Aizen found himself with a set of talons digging deep into his shoulder, the other set having gotten pinned under Ichigo's body. Forcing himself to ignore the pain, Aizen tugged fruitlessly on his zanpakuto where it lay pined under the two bodies holding it down. Letting out an angry hiss, Aizen did the only thing he could think of at the moment and snapped his head upwards, hitting the snarling Visored hard in the chin. Aizen then bit down as hard as he could on the other's throat, cutting off the windpipe and causing the other male to choke slightly. He didn't let up either as he felt Ichigo dig his claws in more as well as begin to thrash underneath him. Aizen just bit down harder.

In response, Ichigo raised his reiatsu levels yet again, using them to try and suffocate Aizen under his power levels. Aizen unconsciously pulled more power into Kyoka Suigetsu, using him to mitigate some of the punishing reiatsu and forgetting what else he had the zanpakuto doing. Aizen then rocked his hips foward into the weeping hardness he could feel digging into his hip, growling around his mouthful of throat. Ichigo released a sobbing wail as he shuddered and relaxed his muscles all at once, going completely lax under Aizen's body.

Aizen cautiously relaxed his jaw, prepared at any moment to clamp down hard onto the pale column of flesh. When Ichigo failed to do anything other then pant harshly as he lay trapped under Aizen's larger body, Aizen rewarded the Visored by rocking his hips again, causing his own erection to grow firmer, while pressing gentle kisses and nips to the abused skin and muscles of Ichigo's neck. Resolutely ignoring the talons still embedded deeply within his flesh, Aizen knew that he had to complete the claiming and reinforce his position as Ichigo's Alpha or risk Ichigo deciding that Aizen wasn't quite strong enough to claim him since he wasn't moving fast enough.

Making sure that Kyoka Suigetsu knew to continue to reinforce the illusion that this room was of no interest to anyone, Aizen released the hold he had on the hilt. With both hands now available for use, Aizen slid one hand down to cup the firm mounds of Ichigo's backside and he moved the other up until he was able to tangle his fingers tightly into the silky mess that was Ichigo's mane of hair. Aizen then used the fistfull of hair to snap Ichigo's head back, fully exposing his throat from his ear to his collar bone, while at the same time using the hand on Ichigo's backside to bring their mutual erections into closer contact. Azien slid his lower hand over and around, caressing the soft skin that covered the firm globe as he carefully moved his hand, bypassing the rigid, twitching that practically begged for attention and the hanging sacks whose tautness bore witness to the Visored's desperate need, until his questing fingers found what they were in search of. Nestled between Ichigo's long, well-defined legs that Aizen had gently, but firmly, nudged until they were spread wider to accomodate himself, Aizen's wandering fingers came to a halt as the found Ichigo's entrance. An entrance that pulsed and quivered ever so gently against the fingertips that had begun to lightly circle the puckered muscle before confidently breaching the entrance just the slightest bit, only to be rewarded by the feel of moisture.

Aizen let out a pleased gasp at the sensation of moisture on his finger, knowing that Ichigo's merger with his inner Hollow was complete by that bit of wetness and that the boy would forever more be incapable of acting without his instincts coming into play. Smug in his knowledge and sense of accomplishment, as well as extremely pleased with how quickly Ichigo's body had prepared itself to be dominated, Aizen tightened his grasp on Ichigo's hair to hold the panting, whimpering, soon-to-be Beta in place as he made short work of thrusting two fingers up to their knuckles into the tight, hot depths that he would soon bury his seed within. Twisting harshly, and ignoring the gasps and whines that erupted from Ichigo's mouth, along with the occasional deep moan of pleasure as Aizen brushed up against Ichigo's prostate, Aizen worked quickly to loosen Ichigo enough to accept his impressively above average length. In this, Azien was aided by the elasticity that was natural in submissive Hollows.

Deciding that he had prepped the Visored enough when he was able to insert four fingers, Aizen pulled his fingers free of the grasping channel and made short work of freeing his own aching, throbbing length from the twisted mess of fabric his shihakusho had become. Pulling away from the neck that he had been happily marking in bruises and bite marks, Aizen lifted his head up enough till he had a clear view of Ichigo's face and could watch the reaction as he moved until his erection was in place and began to slowly push foward past the first ring of muscles. Aizen slowly pushed his way into the Beta until he was fully encased, his balls having hit Ichigo's backside. The whole time he was pushing inwards, Aizne was watching the expressions that flashed across Ichigo's face: shock, pain, anticipation, pleasure. It was when that last expression crossed Ichigo's face that Aizen decided that it was his cue to move, so move he did.

Pulling back out just as slowly as he pushed in, loving the feel of silken walls clinging tightly to his rigid length as they fought to keep him buried deeply within themselves, Aizen paused for just a moment with only his tip still enclosed before snapping his hips foward harshly. Aizen pulled his length out just as slowly several more times, each time stopping just before he would be completely removed from the amazing, welcoming warmth, before quickly snapping his hips foward, spearing the Beta on his massive erection. On each thrust, Aizen would change the angle ever so slightly until, on his sixth attempt, he was met with a scream from Ichigo that spoke of desperate pleasure at the same time as the smaller male wrapped his mile-long legs tightly around Aizen's waist and began to drum his heels against Aizen's back.

Having found the proper angle to ensure Ichigo's enthusiatic response, Aizen then proceed to pound into the Beta, making sure that he hit or rubbed up against Ichigo's prostate as often as possible. So caught up in watching Ichigo, as well as thoroughly enjoying the almost overwhelming pleasure coursing throughout his body as he buried himself over and over again deeply within the nubile, flexible younger male, Aizen almost missed the warning signs that Ichigo was rapidly approaching his limit and was quickly coming up on his climax. Knowing that this was what he had been waiting for in order to tie the Beta to him until one of them died, Aizen summoned up his reiastu and bit down as hard as he could into base of Ichigo's neck, right where it met up with his shoulder. Ignoring the blood that filled his mouth and the resistance of Ichigo's own reiatsu, Aizen pushed his reiatsu foward until the resistance released itself with a pop, allowing him to leave a swirl of his own reiatsu embedded within Ichigo's own, forever marking Ichigo as belonging to Aizen.

With a scream, Ichigo came. His seed spraying uselessly over his stomach, with a few drops hitting his chest: some of it also marking Aizen. Aizen could only manage a few more thrusts into the tightening, quivering sheath before his own orgasm was ripped from him, his seed pulsing deep into Ichigo's fertile body. Breathing harshly, Aizen closed his eyes and let his head rest entirely on Ichigo's shoulder as he attemped to regain control over his breathing.

So out of it was Aizen as he lost himself in simply feeling without planning and scheming for the first time in centuries, that he could be forgiven his surprise when, with a twist and a heave, he found himself flat on his back with an aroused looking Ichigo hovering over him.

It was then, as an extremely aroused and determined looking Visored bore down on him, that he recalled the fact Hollows could mate several times in a row without having to deal with a down time for recovery in between rounds.

* * *

_What a great response for the first chapter! Hope everyone enjoyed the second installment. I will say that this is the earliest that I've gotten to the smut yet. Whoot! Also, as always, an extra special shout out to all those who've taken the time to drop me a word or three._

clobojojo- glad that you are enjoying it so far! You'll find out the answer to which Espada tops in the next chapter, and I hope that you'll be pleased with the winner.

Love Psycho- I had a bit of difficulty writing for Starrk/Grimmjow as well, just because it could be argued both ways for who could top, if you only want one without them switching.

Mayuzu- you're absolutely correct! I'm an equal opportunity MPREGer. I won't just have one pairing get knocked up, without allowing the other couples their happy baby fun.

sakurayuri89, Orion'slover, SexyBVirgo, clio1111, darkhuntressxir, KrazieKat, , duchessme, 2012summerstar, AnsemMensa


	3. Chapter 3

**For warnings and disclaimers, please see chapter one. They all still apply, and will until I take over the WORLD! _BWAHAHAHAHA! _ ***COUGH* Oops...I didn't mean to let out my plans like that, so...just ignore that last part.

* * *

Grimmjow woke up that morning with the nagging sense of impending change hanging over his head and as the day went on, the feeling just became more and more intense. His unease ramped itself up to an almost unhealthy degree and became borderline paranoia when the daily tea meeting that Aizen insisted on was cancelled without any type of explaination, just a quick word from Ichimaru who also gave them an even quicker and _really_ creepy grin after his announcement. Grimmjow felt like his skin was crawling as he walked away and the sensation only became worse as the afternoon wore on until he could take no more. With a decisive nod of his head, Grimmjow gave up on pacing the confines of his room as he tried, and failed, to ignore the warning his finely-tuned senses kept trying to tell him about. Stalking out of his suite, Grimmjow decided that the only thing that could possibly re-focus his attention at this point would be a spar.

Grimmjow snarled as he made his way down the corridors. So far his quest to find someone else to fight with had been fruitless. Everyone seemed to have vanished into thin air once the meeting was declared cancelled. He had tried the common room, the rec room, and the labs and was now just finding the random bedrooms and pounding on the door to see if there was anyone inside. At this point he didn't care _who_ he fought, but he was going to find someone to wear himself out against so that he could ignore his haywire senses. Coming up on the last bedroom door in this corridor, Grimmjow banged hard on the door without any expectation of response only to be taken aback when the door was flung open almost before his hand had had a chance to lower itself. Startled by the immediate response when he had had no luck previously, Grimmjow couldn't stop himself from taking a step back when he suddenly found himself face to face with an irritated looking Primera Espada.

"What?!" Starrk snapped out.

"Shit! Sorry Starrk," Grimmjow held up his hands in a non-threatening manner. "I didn't know that this was your place. Hope I didn't wake you or nothing."

Grimmjow may have been cocksure in his own power, but he wasn't a complete idiot. Coyote Starrk had been given the Primera position for a reason and Grimmjow really had no desire to have that much power turned on him in anger, or in this case, irritation.

"I was just looking for someone to spar against. Didn't know that you were down this hallway or I would've looked elsewhere."

Starrk gave Grimmjow a searching look that Grimmjow couldn't interpret before a shiver racked his tall, lanky frame and he calmed down completely.

'He is rather powerful for someone in his ranking. Perhaps this could be of use for me. The feline type is known for producing many cubs at a time. Wait..._cubs?!_'

"That sounds like a fine plan, mi amigo. Would you object to my partnership in your sparring? For some reason I have been unable to calm myself enough to take a seista today. Ever since the meeting was cancelled I have been filled with anticipation that only kept growing," Starrk gave Grimmjow an inquiring look.

Grimmjow looked over Starrk as he stood in his doorway and thought over the question, quickly coming to a decision. He could keep searching for the seemingly non-existent residents of Los Noches or he could take the opportunity afforded him by finding someone who was strong, handsome, and available and was requesting to spar with him.

'Wait...What!? Handsome? Why did I think that!?' Grimmjow wondered to himself before shrugging it off.

"Sure, that'd be great. Can we keep it to just skin though? No zanpakutos?"

'That way I can have my hands all over you before I make you submit,' Grimmjow absentmindedly thought to himself as Starrk's normally stoic face lit up with a blinding smile as he stepped out of his room.

The two males strolled casually back though the many corridors in silence, so caught up in their own thoughts that neither male notice the looks that he was recieving from the other one.

When they finally reached the training arena, the two of them seperated slightly, pulled off their tops and tossed them to the side of the entrance, and began to stretch out: neither of them wanting to get a pulled muscle for something as simple as a spar. It quickly became appearent that they hadn't spread out quite far enough when, bending and stretching, they kept brushing up against each other. Neither one wanted to move away though as every brief point of contact left a feeling of fire tracing itself over his skin. When Starrk's hand briefly found itself brushing up against Grimmjow's glutial muscles, he couldn't stop the possesive growl that left his mouth.

Eyes flashing, the reiatsu began to rise in the room as the two males leapt apart, growling, and then began to circle each other, looking for an opening to attack. Snarling, Starrk saw something in Grimmjow's stance that he thought he could take advantage over and rushed the shorter, heavyset male. Grimmjow's muscles flexed and strained as he caught the charging Primera, letting out a grunt at the powerful contact only to release his own snarl as his feet were swept out from underneath him. Twisting himself as he harshly ripped his hands away from Starrk, Grimmjow returned the favor as he kicked out at Starrk's legs before catching himself with his hands braced against the floor. He wasn't quite quick enough to get out of the way of Starrk as he dropped and landed right on top of Grimmjow. Both of them released a deep groan at the full, body-on-body contact. Forcing himself to shake it off, Grimmjow used his heavier weight to his advantage as he rolled over, hoping to pin Starrk under him. Starrk, sensing this, quickly leapt off of Grimmjow before the roll had gone too far and trapped him.

Leaping up and back, Starrk didn't know why he wasn't using his sonido to fight against the Sexta, but he had noticed that Grimmjow also wasn't using his rather excellent Sonido against him and mentally marked it as just another strangeness of the day. Eyes narrowing in concentration, Starrk watched as Grimmjow spun onto his back, then made a move like a snake that bounced the other male up and onto his feet.

'Hmmm...he's very flexible.'

Starrk shook off the odd, random thought before rushing in close again. This time, before Grimmjow could get a firm grip on his arms, Starrk spun around at the last second, placing himself at Grimmjow's back, and punched out, hitting Grimmjow in the kidney. He only had time to get in one punch before Grimmjow, in an inspired move, donkey kicked, hitting Starrk sharply in his shin and causing him to hop back out of the way. This put Starrk far enough back that Grimmjow spun and jumped, lashing out with a helicopter kick to Starrk's face that Starrk just managed to duck out of the way of. The kick was so close to connecting with his face that Starrk thought that he could feel the fibers that were in the ties carress his cheek. Ties to what?

Grimmjow decided that he wasn't going to let the other male have a chance to regroup and choose to press his current advantage as he followed his helicopter kick with a punch to the gut that Starrk wasn't able to dodge. Grimmjow grinned savagely at the sight of the Primera bending over around the fist that Grimmjow had shoved into his gut, showing the back of his neck to the Sexta. Letting out a feral sounding snarl, Grimmjow couldn't hold back on his instincts that were telling him to bite, hard, on the pale column of flesh that was exposed so temptingly before him and quickly bent foward to do just that. He was tharwted in that by Starrk quickly jerking his head upwards and hitting Grimmjow in the bottom of his chin, jarring his head and causing him to stagger back as his head was flung up and back by the hit.

Growling, Starrk raised his reiatsu, flooding the room with his power as he staightened up. His instincts flaring all over the place, telling him equally that there was another Alpha challenging him and that there was an available mate that was both powerful and fertile. Starrk stalked foward after the other being in the room, losing himself to his instincts as he had not in many, many years, since before coming to Los Noches in fact.

Grimmjow, dazed from the ringing hit to his head, felt the reiatsu levels begin to rise and, losing himself to his own long buried instincts, felt the need to release the hold his kept on his reiatsu to meet the challenge. Shaking his head quickly side-to-side, Grimmjow cleared his mind from the confusing thoughts that were feeling like they were drowning him and surrendered to his instincts before gliding foward at his own pace to meet the other male that was in his territory.

The two males made eye contact and, with a furious snarling and growling that sounded like an army of Hollows not just the two that were in the room, they sprung foward at each other, both determined that the other male would be forced to submit and yield their body for the other to dominate as he wished.

What had started out as a simple, if oddly touchly-feely, spar had now become a battle to prove who had the right of dominance. Grimmjow was the aggressor more often than not as he flung kicks and punches without a care. Starrk growled fiercely as he was kept on the defensive, ducking and weaving his way around the floor until he saw his chance to put the other male in his place. Dodging out of the way of a hastily thrown punch, Starrk grabbed the outflung fist. Pulling on the over balanced Grimmjow, Starrk caused the other male to stumble foward. Spinning around while still holding tightly to the fist, Starrk twisted the arm he had control of up and behind Grimmjow's back which caused the shorter male to bend over since he didn't want his arm to be broken or ripped off. Kicking his legs harshly with his feet, Starrk forced Grimmjow into a wider stance that gave him more control over Grimmjow's actions.

Starrk rumbled in approval as the position placed Grimmjow's firm, round backside flush against his groin. Rocking his hips foward, Starrk reveled in the feeling of the taught muscles cradling his firming erection. Bending over, ignoring Grimmjow's struggles to free himself, Starrk sniffed along the neck that was bare before him. Finding what seemed to be an ideal place, if the scent wafting up from it proclaiming the male's fertility was any indication, Starrk bit down hard enough to break the skin and draw blood, a rumbling growl filling his chest and causing it to vibrate against Grimmjow's back.

Starrk was jolted from his blissful haze by Grimmjow reaching up with his other arm and grabbing tightly to a fistful of Starrk's long hair. Starrk bit down harder on his mouthful as Grimmjow tugged fruitlessly on the silky strands, failing to move the Primera from his position. Instead, Starrk reached up with his free hand, dug his fingers into the tendons of Grimmjow's wrist, causing him to release his grip, and brought the arm down over Grimmjow's shoulder to join the other hand already being held tightly between their bodies. Starrk secured both of the other male's hands in one of his, the whole time never releasing his mouthful of flesh. Once he had a free hand again, Starrk used it to fumble at the ties holding Grimmjow's bottoms in place until they finally came free and allowed the fabric that was blocking him from claiming the male to drop uselessly to the floor in a puddle. Once Grimmjow's covering was out of the way, Starrk made short work of his own worthless fabric. Starrk then pulled back a bit with his hips, letting his throbbing erection slide teasingly down through the valley of the fleshy mounds it was nestled in before he reached down and lined it up with the twitching entrance to Grimmjow's body.

Grimmjow growled threateningly when he felt the blunt head pressing at his entrance and tried to wiggle his backside away from the invader trying to breech him; however, before he could get out of the way enough, Starrk had successfully pushed into him. Grimmjow let out an agonizing wail that drowned out the triumphant vocalization of Starrk as he felt like he was being split open by a tree, rather than another male's cock. Grimmjow couldn't tell how long they stayed like that, with just the head of Starrk's erection pushed into him, but after an unknown while, Grimmjow suddenly felt an amazing lessening of the spearing, burning pain. Instead, the pain changed to a feeling of being merely highly stretched around the intrusion. There was also an odd sensation of wetness at all points of the connection. The release of such intense, localized pain triggered Grimmjow's instinctive reaction as his full body relaxed his tense fight-or-flight muscles and he tilted his head to the side, allowing Starrk easier access to his neck.

As soon as the body under him signaled its surrender, Starrk finally was able to completely surrender to his own instincts as he began to pinion in and out of the warm sheath his length was in. All his instincts focused on claiming his new Beta and making sure that, when the time came, his seed pulsed deep within the hot channel as his knot swelled, preventing any of the fertile seed from escaping and ensuring that the mating would provide them with a large litter of cubs.

Both of them were completely lost to the world around them as they mated, surrendering to instincts that they hadn't had access to since coming to Los Noches.

* * *

_ Hey all! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, and a lot of concerns that mainly dealt with who would come out on top *nudge, nudge*, so I had to wait until I finished the fight to see what would happen. Also, this is the first fight that I felt comfortable writing, which mainly had to do with the fact that it was hand to hand. And WOW! what a response, especially when you consider that I had only put out two chapters. Also, didn't mean to leave the impression that Aizen was bottoming for Ichigo, just that Ichigo was insatiable in his need to be filled. Special thanks, as always, for those who take the time to drop a word, or several, in the reviews. It really, really means a lot to me, and as well as all writers._

SexyBVirgo, clobojojo, KrazieKat, SakaSandora, clio1111, Orion'slover, duchessme, mimifoxlove, Nuriko Kurosaki, darkhuntressxir, XcaughtLikeAflyX, hollykaye, Love Psycho, HaremBishie, Akio Musheori, Blackberry Shinigami, sakurayuki89, OfeliaWolf, fahaar, Kinsey27, lana

SapphireTou-_Sorry for the confusion, but no. Aizen was merely topping from underneath. I don't know how much Wonderwiess will come into play in my story, but judging by what I've got written, his future may not be the brightest._


	4. Chapter 4

_Still not mine, still not making any money off of. _*SIGH*

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Ichigo was happily nestled in that thin line between restful sleep and wide-awake alertness when the objectionable aroma of excessive sweat and semen made his nose wrinkle in displeasure. Grumbling irritably as he left that border realm, knowing that he would have to strip his sheets and get them washed after having one of _those_ dreams, Ichigo swung his legs over the side of his bed and ran his hands over his face as he huffed in exasperation before sitting up the rest of the way. Hopefully he could get his sheets and pajama pants thrown into the machine without encountering Isshin. He could certainly do without the comments and innuendos his insane father would toss out like candy.

No. That's not right. He was staying with the Visoreds and training hard so he could learn control over his inner Hollow. Shit. That meant _way_ more teasing and rude comments than what goat-face would subject him to. He still couldn't get over the mouth on Hiyori. And Lisa would give him all kind of embarrasing facts and probably use her erotic manga as visual aides. Well...double shit.

Scrubbing harder at his face as he tried to jumpstart the circulation to his head, and consequencely his brain, Ichigo gathered his determination and decided to just get on with his day. It couldn't be worse that what his way too active imagination was painting across his eyeballs for him.

Except it was.

When Ichigo went to rise from his bed, his legs for some reason refused to cooperate. Instead, stabbing pain shot up his spine and he collapse backwards on the bed, hissing in pain as he grabbed ineffectively at his lower back. When he fell backwards, Ichigo landed, hard, on what felt like a body. Rolling over, Ichigo found himself laying chest to chest, which also brought him face to face, with Sosuke Aizen. Who was grinning at him with a _very_ smug expression on his face that only increased in intensity when Ichigo, who had no idea why he did so, stretched up a bit and fastened their lips together. Only to pull back a moment later with an expression that could only be described as a mix between extreme confusion and disgust, with a growing hint of rage.

"Explain. NOW!" Ichigo snapped out, fury overtaking all other expression on his face.

"Certainly," Aizen said smugly. "But first. I think we should expand on that lovely morning wakeup you so thoughtfully planted on my lips."

And before Ichigo could strangle out a single protest, Aizen's lips had closed the distance between the two of them and fastened tight. Ichigo, for reasons he still couldn't comprehend, felt himself respond with equal fervor as their lips battled against one another. Aizen's smooth, well-moisturized lips a pleasant contrast against his own slightly chapped ones. Ichigo lost himself in a blissful haze of _feeling_ when he felt Aizen's tongue gently poke out of his now open mouth, asking for entrance to Ichigo's own mouth. Ichigo, lost in his mental haze, gladly opened his mouth to allow the other free access, enjoying the feeling of the flexible muscle tracing the insides of his mouth. What drew Ichigo back to himself was when he heard himself release a pleasant sounding, rumbling growl from deep within his chest.

"What the fuck?!" Ichigo exclaimed as he pulled up and away from Aizen, alarm written loudly across his features.

Aizen merely looked excessively pleased, like deeply kissing someone with whom one has been fighting with was perfectively acceptable in his world.

"There is nothing wrong with mates showing each other affection, Ichigo Kurosaki. In fact, it is highly encouraged. Especially for one in your, hopefully, delicate condition," Aizen slid his hands down from behind his head where they had been, to gently place them on Ichigo's abdomin. "A Hollow's first mating cycle, the one that determines its Alpha or Beta status is highly fertile afterall. I would be shocked and appalled if you weren't carrying our little one already in your very delictable body after all I did to put it there over the last few days."

Aizen briefly caught Ichigo's lips with his own in a chaste kiss as the other male stared down at him in stunned silence. The silence lingered as Aizen simply lay back against the pilows and waited for Ichigo to catch up to events. Aizen was running though a mental checklist of what he would have to get accomplished after first finding out what day it was, and if anything of importance had occured while he was otherwise occupied when it became apparent that Ichigo had finally processed the information that Aizen had given to him by breaking the silence.

"I want to hate you, but I can't. Why is that?" Ichigo whispered quietly as he gently and cautiously settled his head down onto Aizen's shoulder, staring off into nothing as he did so. "I can clearly remember that I hated you for what you did to Rukia, and I think loathe might be used after what the Visoreds had told me, but I can't dredge up anything more than the memory of that emotion when I think of you now."

Aizen stayed silent as he moved his hands until he had Ichigo wrapped securely in his arms, with one hand gently threading its way through Ichigo's long, silky locks of hair.

"It is a developed survival mechanism unique to Hollows, that ensures the continuation of the species," Aizen said quietly, enjoying the feel of warm skin over lithe muscles under one hand and the feeling of a waterfall of silk tangling around the fingers of the other hand. "Once mated, the Alphas are drawn to protect and provide for any offspring that they sired. The Betas have their mindset changed a bit as their evolution's modification. This guarantees the safety of the Alpha, since the Beta now looks to its Alpha for all of its needs while it is carrying the Alpha's young, rather than fighting the Alpha or trying to eat it."

"Hollows are not normally monagamous," Aizen continued. "They are together only long enough to see their offspring to self-sufficiency before going on their seperate ways, either finding new mates to raise cubs with or finding appropriate challengers to fight against. But as I intend to be the only sire of your cubs, I will simply have to sacrifice myself to seeing that you are kept constantly pregnant with my seed or nursing one of our cubs."

"It will be a lot of work on my part, but it is something that I am prepared to do," Aizen said with a leer as his hands moved down Ichigo's naked body to grab Ichigo's bottom. "Allow me to demonstrate my strong sense of dedication."

And with that Ichigo found himself spun about and flipped over until he was on his knees, with his face pressed down into the pile of pillows that had just been suppporting Aizen's head. Shortly after that occured, Ichigo allowed himself to become lost in the sensations the Aizen roused in his physical body and mentally promised himself that as soon as he had some time to himself, he would try to deal with the mental and emotional aspects of what was happening to him. But for now...he would simply allow himself to revel in the bliss that joining their bodies together was bringing out in his body and the sense of rightness that his instincts were all screaming out at him.

* * *

_I have to admit: I was _very_ nervous about writing a story with Aizen in it, but, after re-reading this chapter, I will admit to enjoying how I am portraying him. Smug, slimely, and slightly...off. Hopefully no one is having any difficulty with how my viewpoints are being written in each chapter. I decided to stick with one viewpoint, for the most part, in each chapter, instead of letting everythought that anyone in the chapter is having be read. _

_As always, thanks to everyone reading and responding in some manner to this fic. Reviews are _always_ appreciated, no matter the length._

SexyBVirgo, clio1111, Nuriko Kurosaki, Blackberry Shinigami, mimifoxlove, OfeliaWolf, Firehedgehog, SapphieTou, DeityOfDeath, MegadeathSlice,

clobojojo- _glad you like the fight! I have a lot more experience in hand to hand than sharp pointy things. After surviving two way older brothers, a horde of cousins, and some karate, hand to hand just flows better for me. PLUS, the massive bonus of writing two hot guys putting hands all over one another. I will admit that I had zero idea until the finale about who would end up on the bottom._

KrazieKat-_ Yay for Starrk and Grimmjow making liars of Aizen. Not that he has any idea of that yet._

sukurayuri89-_ I'm glad you enjoy the creativity of my writing. I don't know if I could ever write a pregnant Aizen just because I would have to _really_ change the cannon (more than I do now) to allow for me to believe in it because of his character. _


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimers and warnings are still in force.**

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"Fuck!"

Grimmjow knew what had happened the instant he woke up. What had started as a simple spar between himself and Starrk to relieve the odd tension they both were suffering from had evolved into a Dominance battle between two unmated Alphas.

And he had been the one who had lost.

Grimmjow could feel Starrk's arms wrapped tightly around him as they spooned with Starrk's front to Grimmjow's back and, as he moved around trying to extract himself from the other's frim grip, he was also able to feel Starrk's member slip out of his entrance. Once the blockage caused by Starrk slipped free, Grimmjow felt the excess cum ooze out of his stretched channel and trickle over his skin as it escaped its over-filled container. His movements had obviously awoken his new mate as was evident when Starrk's arms tightened their hold and Starrk leaned over him, placing his lips near Grimmjow's ear.

"Good morning, mi precioso tesoro," Starrk whispered hoarsely, before placing a sucking kiss just behind Grimmjow's ear.

"Yeah, I suppose it is fer people who haven't had their world flipped upside down in tha time between when they last woke up an' now," Grimmjow said bitterly, ceasing in his escape attempt. Based on Starrk's endearment, he was pleased with the events that lead up to the two of them waking up together and would enforce and embrace his place as Alpha.

Starrk squeezed his new mate tightly for a moment before manhandling Grimmjow until they were face to face.

"None of that now," Starrk said with a serious expression. "Such emotions as bitterness and regret do not suit you. I will admit that what occurred between us was completamente inesperado and might not have been what either of us was desirous of, but it has happened. That is a fact. That I am your Alpha now, is also fact. It should go without saying that I will care for you and any cubs. What I wish to draw your atencion to is that this is the first time that I can recall that an occurrance such as this has happened since coming to Los Noches. Unless you know of others?"

Grimmjow had completely stilled when Starrk began to manoever him, his instincts screaming at him to submit to whatever his Alpha desired of him; however, just because his body was completely enthralled with Starrk didn't mean that his mind had been stuffed with cotton wool and he listened intensely as Starrk spoke. When Starrk reached the end of his little speech, Grimmjow was already flipping through his memories, a puzzled expression on his face and his eyes lost in thought as he focused inwards. Starrk, seeing that his new Beta was lost in thought as he gave the query its proper consideration, merely shifted the two of them about carefully until he was laying flat on his back with Grimmjow cradled in his arms, held flat against his chest, before closing his eyes and trying to rest up a bit more. He smiled slightly to himself when he felt Grimmjow absentmindly nuzzle into his bare chest, before reaching up a hand to run his fingers though Grimmjow's surprisingly silky hair.

"No," Grimmjow spoke up a while later. "I can clearly remember meeting up with other Hollows an' their mates an' cubs when I was still bein' sent out ta try an' arrange treaties an' alliances before tha three in charge wised up that I wasn't tha best choice, but I can't think of a single time that those who live here in Los Noches have mated. Whether as Alpha and Beta, first heat, a claimin' challenge, or a dominance battle like between the two of us. It's like everybody here is sexless or somethin'."

"That is what I thought as well, but I thank you for the careful consideration you gave my cuestion, mi Preciosa. I think the odd sensation that drove us to spar against one another in desperation was tied up in the lack of mating that had been happening. I think that we should meet up with the rest of our fellow Espada, their Fraccion, and the Privaron Espada as quickly as possible and as _quietly_ and as _privately_ as possible."

Grimmjow lifted his head up from where it had been resting on Starrk's chest, enjoying the vibration caused by Starrk speaking, and met worried slate-grey eyes.

"Ya got an idea about the cause, don't ya?" Grimmjow asked quietly. "An ya don't like the direction yer thoughts went ta, but ya don't want ta discount it just because ya think its bad. Yer hoping that yer thoughts are wrong an' that the others can prove ya wrong, but if yer right, then ya got backup already lined up an' informed."

"Si," Starrk whispered harshly and closed his eyes, the muscles in his body tensing under Grimmjow. "I think that it is extremadamenta peligroso what my thoughts have led me to, and I do wish to be proven wrong. But I will not be taken unawares if I am not. We will be prepared."

* * *

_And here it is, Grimmjow's and Starrk's reaction. I like how mature I've written them. It always seemed to me that the Espada in general, and a few in particular, were underplayed in the series. After all, they've lived, battled, and evolved over who-knows-how-long, which tells me that they've done _some_ learning in that time._

_Also, I will be coming up pressed for time in the next several months due to packing and moving. All postings will continue as scheduled for me unless otherwise noted, which shouldn't be a problem other than the actual move and then I would probably post early, thanks to my habit of having a large backlog of chapters when I start to post. However, to save myself a bit of time I will be just doing a generic, but _heartfelt_, thanks to all my reviewers and try to respond to questions in PM when I get some time. _


	6. Chapter 6

**warnings and disclaimers:** Still not mine, still not making money from, definitely still slash. more explicit warnings are in the first chapter.

* * *

Ichigo still couldn't wrap his mind around the situation he found himself in as he was deftly steered along Los Noches' blindingly white corridors by Aizen's hand that was subtly resting in the small of his lower back. Not only was he now fully evolved into what a Visored should be by accepting his instincts and fully merging with his inner Hollow, but he had been forcibly mated by Aizen during his first, and so far only, heat. And to top everything off, the whole reason that he was being taken though the halls wearing an outfit that Aizen had chosen for him, that actually wasn't all that bad since Aizen had had it designed to resemble his usual shihakusho as it appeared when he was in Bankai, minus the sleeves, plus the blinding white, was because he, a guy, was most probably pregnant, with the spawn of the asshole that was trying to overthrow the Soul Society and kill everyone that Ichigo was trying to protect and Aizen was taking him along to the Espada's version of a healer for confirmation.

And now apparently, his inner thoughts, once a model of linear thought and organisation, were a rambling, chaotic mess. Ichigo didn't even try to hold back the sigh that escaped him at this realisation.

Aizen, hearing the sigh, took a closer look at his companion, saw the far-off expression the other was sporting, and concluded that Ichigo was merely lost in thought and that there was nothing for him to be concerned over. Aizen then allowed his eyes to stray from Ichigo's face so that he could bask once again in the possiveness that overtook him as he savored the sight of Ichigo dressed in clothing that _he_ had provided. He allowed his eyes to linger on the low collar of Ichigo's modified jacket. The collar was low enough that it showed off the claiming bite quite clearly since he had had Ichigo pull his hair back into a low tail. From there, his eyes over Ichigo's boyishly slim shoulders, shoulders that hinted at the breadth that they would have achieved had Ichigo not ceased his aging by leaving his humanity fully behind. Then his eyes caressed all the bare skin afforded to their view by the lack of sleeves until they came to rest again on the modified reiatsu suppressing bracelets that Aizen had snapped on Ichigo that morning as he dressed the Beta.

The bracelets, instead of suppressing all reiatsu and making the one wearing them unable to use any of their power, had been modified, by himself, to merely prevent any conscious control over the wearer's reiatsu. The power was still there, swirling and dancing around and within Ichigo, but he just couldn't harness it and use it to do anything. Aizen couldn't cut off complete access to Ichigo's power or there would be no offspring, since the cubs would be feeding off of that source of energy throughout their gestation. Then, once the cubs were born, Ichigo's body would begin to lactate an odd little formula that was almost pure reiatsu for the suckling cubs' nourishment.

The whole time that Aizen was allowing himself to savor the primative sense of possesiveness toward Ichigo, he was still paying close attention to his surroundings, so when they finally arrived at Szayelaporro Granz's laboratory Aizen was easily able to bring the two of them to a controlled halt before the double doors. Reaching out the hand not currently occupied with steering Ichigo towards the alpha-numeric keyboard, Aizen quickly and easily typed in his key code before allowing the hand to fall back to his side. They then stood there and waited: Aizen with the smug smirk that Ichigo was quickly becoming accustomed to seeing and Ichigo with an increasing look of bewilderment and confusion.

"There is a certain routine that must be done if one is to be granted access to Szayelaporro's rooms, especially if one wishes to leave the rooms later with everything intact," Aizen stated easily after seeing the look of confusion Ichigo was wearing. "The code that I used merely informed him who was at his door and that I would prefer to be granted access. Sooner rather than later if he doesn't mind. He was a rather interesting Hollow when I first met him, very inquisitive. After he was evolved into an Arrancar, he became slightly twisted. Something that has only became more pronounced now that he is an Espada."

Ichigo didn't fail to notice the way that Aizen caressed his zanpakuto as he spoke the last few sentences, or the way that his smirk became rather vicious in appearance, and filed the information away, much like he had done for the fact that the two of them were mated. He knew that he would have to deal with everything at some point, but he also knew that now was not the time to draw attention to himself by causing a massive disturbance. He would be patient and wait until he had a clearer view of the overall picture. Therefore, when the large double doors swung open, Ichigo merely allowed Aizen to once again steer him wherever the other male wished him to go.

* * *

_Aaannnnd more interesting foreshadowing. Man, I wish the bloody author would just get onto whatever she keeps hinting at, but then it would probably be a really, really short story without any interesting plot. Decisions, decisions. I wonder what will happen next? And what was up with the short chapter!? _

_Thanks for all the amazing responses! Just remember: everytime a reader reviews, another author squeals in joy._


	7. Chapter 7

**All warnings and disclaimers are still in full force.**

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After Grimmjow and Starrk had talked it over, and had had an ethusiastic round or two of sex, they decided that it was imperative that they act like they had before their mating. It was obvious when they compared notes that the un-natural behavior of the Los Noches' inhabitants had started right around the time the three Shinigami had arrived and begun their recruitment drive and neither male wanted to tip off the Shinigami that they were aware that something was controling them. They didn't know what would happen in that case, and they didn't have any desire to find out. Grimmjow was even alright with losing his Alpha status and becoming the Beta mate of Starrk, which was surprising even to himself when he thought about it, simply because if they hadn't mated, they would still be under some type of mental fog that controlled and limited them.

"Are ya ready for this?" Grimmjow asked Starrk, his hand resting on the handle of the door. "Once we leave here, we're gonna hafta move _fast_ if we're gonna get everythin' dealt with before I start ta show an' give away tha whole show."

Starrk, easily reading the worry his new mate had in the way Grimmjow held himself and had clenched his free hand tightly into a white-knuckled fist, glided up behind his mate and gently cupped the location where his sensitive nose told him that their cubs were already growing.

"It will be alright. You and our precioso paquete will be safe, I swear it to you. Tust in me that no matter what occurs, I will see to that first and foremost," Starrk nuzzled into the silky, teal mess of Grimmjow's hair.

"Now then," Starrk said as he reluctantly released Grimmjow and stepped back. "I shall be seeing to the Espada, you shall speak to the Privaron, and we shall have them round up the numerous Fraccions. I shall meet you in the salon de recreo afterwards, mi tesoro."

"And if anyone seems ta be more wit' those bastard shinigami then wit' their own kind?"

Starrk had a very serious expression on his face as he clenched his hands into fists.

"If it seems likely that our compatriots will be against us, than we arrange for them to be...removed... from the situation. Just remember to be vague about why they should drop by the rumpus room."

Grimmjow gave a sharp nod of his head before flinging the door open and out of his way as he left without another word or glance, ignoring his instincts that were screaming at him to stay with the safety and protection afforded him by his Alpha mate. Starrk, taking a deep breath, also had to rein in his instincts which were telling him to find a safe den to hide away his newly pregnant mate and not allow him to walk out the door into a situation that was becoming increasingly clear wasn't the one that they had all been led to believe it was.

Taking in another deep breath as he squared up his shoulders, Starrk then strode out of the room, determined to find out if any of the other Espada could be swayed to leave Aizen and join with him and Grimmjow. The larger the pack that was formed, the safer his mate and cubs would be. Also, the earlier that any possible traitors could be spotted and dealt with, the better.

It was several hours later, and numerous casual chats later as well, that found Starrk headed to the last Espada on his mental checklist: Szayelaporro Granz. He had saved the Espada of madness for last simply because he was the most difficult to get into and see. Or not. It all depended on the Octava's mood at the time and if any of the traitorous Shinigami that were lording it up over the Arrancars were around to give him orders.

Starrk idly walked down the corridor that led to Szayel's labs, knowing that it was the only place Szayel was guaranteed to be found in other than meetings, his mind however was going a mile a minute as he retraced over his conversations with the other Espada. Starrk shook his head regretfully as he came to the inescapible conclusion that most of the Arrancars that evolved or gained any significant amount of power, or worse, had been... _designed... _by Sosuke Aizen, would have to be put down like the rabid beasts they were. Only those Espada that had evolved under their own power, or almost completely so, had any chance of seeing through whatever Aizen was doing to them. He had had a prime set of examples of the differences between the two sets just by talking to the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie followed almost immediately by a conversation with the Cuarto Espada, Ulquiorra Cifer.

The Noveno was obviously insane. He rambled incoherently, switched personalities without any rhyme or reason, and couldn't focus his attention on anything for longer than a few minutes. Ulquiorra however... _that_ had been interesting. Normally the Cuarto Espada was an absolutely emotionless blank space every time Starrk had had the pleasure of meeting with him, for any reason. While Starrk _had _been on the look out for Ulquiorra and was hoping to bump into him to pass along the casual invite to meet up later in the rec room, he wasn't planning on _literally_ bumping into the other male.

It had all happened in an instant.

Starrk was ambling down the corridor nearest the cell that was holding the human girl that Aizen had had the Cuarto guarding, mentally going over conversation starters, when he was jared from his thoughts by hitting a lithe, hard body. The shock of the hit, coupled with the surprise of being caught off guard, caused Starrk to fall backwards onto the floor. Shaking it off, Starrk started to rise back to his feet when his vision was filled with a long-fingered, white hand. Reaching up, Starrk accepted the help that was being offered to him.

"My disculpas. I did not watch where I was going, so lost in thought I was," Starrk said as he gave a self-depreciating grin, all the while taking in the sight of the very being he was seeking.

Ulquiorra gave him a deep, searching look, before nodding his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Acceptable. It has been rather _different_ around here recently."

If Starrk hadn't been so completely focused on the other male, he might have missed the slight emphasis on the word: Different. As it was, he caught it easily and gave a slight nod of his own head back at the other.

"Si. It has been a bit stressful lately. Perhaps you would care to join several of the others, along with myself of course, later in the salon de recreo? It might help release some of the tension that seems to have sprung up most recently. No set time, just show up whenever you are free to do so."

Starrk knows that it is not his imagination that causes him to see a knowing gleam deep within the other's jewel-hued eyes when he is granted another slight affirmative nod of the head and Ulquiorra starts to walk past him. Starrk definitely knows that he doesn't imagine the deep, rumbling growl that eminates from Ulquiorra's chest as the lesser Espada lets Starrk know that he is approaching too close to what Ulquiorra seems to be determined to protect. Cautioned, Starrk stops his foward momentum and instead begins to slowly move backwards, away from the direction that would have led to Starrk passing directly in front of the cell holding the human girl.

As Starrk finally turns to leave, headed back the way he came, all he can think is, 'Interesting'.

It is these thoughts that have filled his mind since: the obvious, startling difference between those Arrancar who have fought for their own evolution and those who have been given it on a platter by Aizen. Starrk is jolted out of his thoughts for the second time that day when he arrives at the double doors that lead to Syazel's laboratories.

The doors are hanging wide open and the Octava Espada is standing there, framed by the gaping doorway, almost glowing in his white clothes against the black background behind him.

"Well, don't just stand there gaping like the rest of the morons. Get yourself inside. Quickly," Syazelaporro says before he turns and dissappears into the darkness.

Not wanting to, but knowing that he had no choice if he was going to finish up his half of the job, Starrk quickly moved foward into the darkness, ignoring the fact that the doors slowly closed themselves behind him. Starrk moved foward as fast as he could while he still had some streamers of light, but when the doors finally sealed themselves shut behind him, he came to a halt, not wishing to injure himself by moving foward in complete darkness. Just when he was beginning to think that Szayel was merely waiting at the door for the first Arrancar to wander past and he had been the one to fall for it, lights sprang up all around him.

The lights were blinding after his time in the darkness and caused Starrk to close his eyes, even as he released a whine of protest against the pain.

"Oh hush up, you stupid idiot," Starrk heard as he tried to force his eyelids to rise and allow him to see. "Your vision will return very shortly. I merely gave you something to come and _see_ me about, in my capacity as the Espada's healer. Now then, don't lash out at me but I'm going to place my hand on your arm and lead you over to the examination table. When we get there, hop up and don't say anything. I already know what's going on, thanks to a little birdy in control of the survaillence system, and it's also thanks to him that I know that Aizen is headed this way to have me take a look at someone that he brought back from the living world several days ago. Also, you might want to thank Gin the next time you bump into him. He hid the footage of you and Grimmjow going at it like savages. He was wondering when Aizen would slip up on his control and some of us would figure out what the man was up to."

Starrk was lost. In between the blinding pain of his eyes and the rambling, verbal barfage of Syazel, he just didn't know what was going on, so he decided to just follow along with whatever the slim, pink-haired male wished to do for now.

"Oh," Starrk heard Syazel say after a pause that involved him hoping up onto the table. "When Gin comes in here all up in arms over something stupid and pointless in a few minutes, either play along or keep your mouth shut and look clueless. He and I have a bad feeling that the person coming over here with Aizen will need to have some things explained to him. Especially if he is who _Gin _thinks he is and if what happened to him is what I _think_ happened to him."

All Starrk can do is nod and hope that everything will become clearer later when they have more time. Because he can tell that there is no more time to be had just now, when Aizen's voice can be easily heard coming from the direction that Starrk had just entered the room from. And that it is coming much closer.

* * *

_Hmm...rumble, rumble, rumble, mutiny, mutiny, mutiny. The insanity thing was something that I had noticed in the anime. The more Aizen had to do with the creation of an Arrancar, the less mentally stable they seemed to be. Amazing the difference between being given something and having to work for it._

_Thanks as always to those who fav, alert, or review. The responses always fire me up and increase my inspiration, ensuring that I get a lot of writing done._


	8. Chapter 8

_My wonderful reviewer _Mayuzu_ has requested a bit more of a reminder for the chapters. So I will be leading the chapters with a bit of the previous chapter that featured the current chapter's characters as a, hopeful, reminder. Please let me know if it works, or if I should do something else._

* * *

_**Previously **__with ichi and aizen:_

_"There is a certain routine that must be done if one is to be granted access to Szayelaporro's rooms, especially if one wishes to leave the rooms later with everything intact," Aizen stated easily after seeing the look of confusion Ichigo was wearing. "The code that I used merely informed him who was at his door and that I would prefer to be granted access. Sooner rather than later if he doesn't mind. He was a rather interesting Hollow when I first met him, very inquisitive. After he was evolved into an Arrancar, he became slightly twisted. Something that has only became more pronounced now that he is an Espada."_

_Ichigo didn't fail to notice the way that Aizen caressed his zanpakuto as he spoke the last few sentences, or the way that his smirk became rather vicious in appearance, and filed the information away, much like he had done for the fact that the two of them were mated. He knew that he would have to deal with everything at some point, but he also knew that now was not the time to draw attention to himself by causing a massive disturbance. He would be patient and wait until he had a clearer view of the overall picture. Therefore, when the large double doors swung open, Ichigo merely allowed Aizen to once again steer him wherever the other male wished him to go._

_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_

Ichigo doesn't know what to make of it. One minute he was 100% positive that Aizen was never going to let him leave his side again, then thenext moment the creepily-smiling, albino Taicho from the Seireitei _bounced_ into the room where Aizen had led him to get a medical check-up, babbling about _something_, and he was suddenly left alone with two of the Espada. One of whom that was apparently in charge of Ichigo until this evening which was the earliest that Aizen thought that he could manage to be free enough to watch over him again. Ichigo closed his eyes and released a sigh as he buried his face into his hands.

'What a...day? week? How long have I even been here for anyway? At least I should finally have a chance to get some thinking done now that I'm going to be away from Aizen's side for the next few hours, instead of just passively following along with whatever he wants. Which is completely messed up,' Ichigo thought to himself.

Hearing someone approaching him, Ichigo removed his hands from his face and looked up at the rest of the room. He saw the pink haired Espada with the pretty face, the one that Aizen said would be examing him, moving his way after seeing to another Arrancar two tables over before pausing briefly at a table loaded down with odd-looking electronic devices. Ichigo didn't know if the guy on the table was an Espada or not since he had never seen the tall male before, but, after a minute or two of thought, decided that he probably was if Aizen was entrusting the tall male with Ichigo's care for the day. Ichigo was so lost in his thoughts that he failed to register the fact that the pink-haired male had evidently completed whatever he was doing at the equipment table and had made his way over to stand beside Ichigo with one of the unknown devices in hand. The first Ichigo knew about that fact was when the male placed the device flush against his uncovered bicep and pressed a button, causing Ichigo to be jabbed with a needle.

"What the fuck man!" Ichigo yelped as he jumped away from the sensation, glaring darkly at the other. "What was that about!? And who the fuck are you anyway?"

"My name is Szayelaporro Granz and I am the Octava Espada, but you may call me Szayel. And as I am rather sure that you were informed that I was to examine you, it should be fairly obvious that what I just did was a part of your examination. As a new resident of Los Noches, you will need to have bloodwork done, skin samples taken, a scraping of your mask fragment taken, as well as all the documentation done about what abilities you personally demonstrate. Which is different than what abilities your zanpakuto confers upon you, which also will have to be analyzed, so if you could summon it and hand it over I could get the machines started on that while I go over you. Oh! And I'd also like to document where your hole is located for a theory of mine."

Ichigo felt a bit stunned at what was expected to happen to happen at this exam as the list continued on, but when Szayelaporro asked him to hand over his zanpakuto, his astonishment changed to a feeling of loss, tinted with anger.

"I don't have him," Ichigo said while scowling darkly, "and I have no idea of where he is either. He wasn't with me when I was allowed to dress this morning, or whenever it was, since I have no idea of what time it is or how long I've been here for anyway. And why would I even let someone I've never met and don't know have access to my zanpakuto? And I don't have a damn hole! I'm not a Hollow! And besides, I thought you were just going to confirm whether or not Aizen knocked me up."

Szayel looked up from where he was fiddling with some buttons on the odd looking hand-held device, an expression of shock taking over his features, contorting them out of the smug expression that had been on them since Ichigo had first been jabbed.

"What?" Szayel whispered, his voice seemingly having deserted him. "What do you mean that you're not a Hollow? You possess a bone mask, as is evident just by glancing at your face. Fascinating. What did Aizen-sama do differently with the Hogyoku to create you?"

"That bastard Aizen didn't do anything with the Hogyoku to me. I was born like this. I guess. I mean, it seems that I was always going to be a Shinigami, but the Hollow thing came later. After Byakuya severed my Chain of Fate I went through some more training and came out of it as something called a Visored, which meant that I had an inner Hollow apparently."

Ichigo couldn't help himself. He hadn't meant to say even that much about himself, but Szayel looked so excited, like he was a little kid who had been told that Christmas was now going to come twice a year, that Ichigo allowed a bit more about himself to pass his lips than he would normally.

"You know," said a voice from the other occupied bed, "it might be for the best if you introduce yourself, desconocido. Things like your name, what you are, and why you are here? It might help prevent confusion from occuring. Por ejemplo, I am Coyotte Starrk, the Primera Espada. I evolved on my own and came here because Aizen-sama promised me compansionship and an end to my loneliness with others who would be strong enough to remain unkilled from the mere pressure of my reiatsu."

Ichigo's attention was drawn away from Szayel as soon as Starrk began to speak. He found himself agreeing with the reasonableness of the suggestion and when the other finished speaking, introduced himself properly.

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, I was human this time last year but became a Shinigami the first time by accepting Rukia Kuchiki's zanpakuto as she thrust it into me. I became a Shinigami the second time under the training I was talking about, which also had the side effect of changing me into a Visored. A Visored is someone who is a Shinigami that possess an inner Hollow. I'm here because, apparently, I have no prejudice against Hollows as a whole, even though one killed my mother. And that lack of predjudice led to me _not_ fighting against my inner Hollows instincts when he decided to mature and mate. I was told that bit personally by Aizen, who had me captured and taken to him so that he could force my submission on my first mating cycle. He wants to keep me knocked up and by his side for eternity from what I can gather."

Ichigo was surprised to feel muscles that were far too tense relax after he had had a chance to vent some of what occurred to complete strangers.

'Maybe there might be _something_ to what everyone keeps telling me about not keeping everything bottled inside.'

Ichigo watched as Starrk and Szayel exchanged an odd, knowing-type of glance before gesturing between each other and himself. The rapid hand gestures didn't last very long before halting. The result of which led to Szayel throwing his hands up in seeming defeat as he turned away and leaned up against the side of the next examination table.

"Well," Szayel drawled. "Go on then."

Starrk ran his fingers through his hair before focusing all of his attention solely on Ichigo, who returned the favor and paid close attention, somehow knowing that the next few minutes were going to be of great importance to his future.

"From the way you talked, I came away with the impression that you do not wish to have such..._intimate_...relations with Aizen," Starrk began, an extremely serious expression on his face. "Lo siento. I offer you my sympathy for the lack of choice in your future. However."

Starrk paused for a moment, and it was easy for Ichigo to tell that he was simply trying to choose the best way to proceed. And it also didn't fail to register that Aizen was no longer referred to as _sama_.

"Some of us, the residents of Los Noches that is, have lately discovered that all is not as it seems within its blindingly pure walls. That something has been...suppressing? controlling?...our Hollow nature. And that the manner of control as been in place since deciding to join with Aizen, for those of us who have come here fully evolved. The level of control for those that Aizen created is much more alarming, or at least that is the idea de narracion that I have been forced to after talking to several of them. Perhaps you would wish to offer any observations you might have had? Having been most recently in his direct presence after all."

Ichigo stared blankly at the Espada after he finshed talking. It was a lot to take in, even if not that much had been actually said. Just the nature of the information was a bit shocking. Not so much that Aizen would stoop to controlling every aspect of the life of his followers, but that such followers had become aware of it. But then Ichigo began to think of what little he personally knew of Aizen and came to his own odd conclusion.

"I think it might be more off than even you might what to think about," Ichigo slowly said as he struggled to place his nebulous thoughts into words. "I just met Aizen very recently. Very, very recently given what I know about Shinigami's life spans, and I guess yours as well. This was a man who didn't fail to mentally control his Shinigami underlings, fake his own brutal murder, and slaughtered the entire governing body of the Seireitei. And yet, he merely fought me and forced my submission via physical means. He could have had me chained down before I regained consciousness and then raped me without having to expend any effort, but he didn't. He was even gentle when he took me again after I first woke up in his bed. After explaining a bit about what happened to me even."

"I think, perhaps, that we should allow mi companero, Szayel to check over as much of you as posible. Then, since I have been granted the privilege of guardianship over your body, I might have you accompany me to the salon de recreo later to meet up with the residents of Los Noches. And since I am sure that you have many, many preguntas floating around in your brain that you are desirous of having answers too, feel free to ask what you wish. We shall provide answers to the best of our ability."

Before Ichigo could respond with his fervant thanks, since he did want more in depth answers about the whole mating thing, Szayel shot foward from his slumped over position.

"Finally! Now let me get to work! I have so much to do and test and collect! What an opportunity! And just to let you know, if you are wondering, yes you are pregnant. It's a given regarding the natures of our cycles. A Hollow nevers enters a cycle _unless_ they are healthy enough, and fertile enough, to do so. Now lets get to far more interesting things."

Ichigo felt a thrill of alarm spread throughout his body as Szayel loomed over him with an expression on his face similar to the one that Hat'n'Clogs would make when forcing Ichigo into a new aspect of training. He wasn't even remotely reasured when Starrk hustled out of the way with a look of alarm across his features.

"Don't worry about a thing," Szayel said as he placed his hand-held device against Ichigo's chest above the location of his heart. "This won't hurt me a bit. Promise!"

* * *

_Absolutely thanks for the reviews! I love getting feedback. It really helps to improve the story and fires my motivation to write. May I also state that I _hate_ moving. BLEH! Well, the house is officially on the market and we are in the process of looking at places closer to work. I've got half the house packed and out for showing purposes._


	9. Chapter 9

_**Previously**__ with starrk and grimm:_

_"Oh," Starrk heard Syazel say after a pause that involved him hopping up onto the table. "When Gin comes in here all up in arms over something stupid and pointless in a few minutes, either play along or keep your mouth shut and look clueless. He and I have a bad feeling that the person coming over here with Aizen will need to have some things explained to him. Especially if he is who Gin thinks he is and if what happened to him is what I think happened to him."_

_All Starrk can do is nod and hope that everything will become clearer later when they have more time. Because he can tell that there is no more time to be had just now, when Aizen's voice can be easily heard coming from the direction that Starrk had just entered the room from. And that it is coming much closer._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sigh Grimmjow released once the recreation room's doors swung shut behind the last Arrancar that they had spoken too was one of pure bliss. He couldn't help himself. The relief he felt at finally being able to relax in his new mate's presence was almost obscene. It had been an insanely long day for him afterall.

First, waking up to find out that he and Starrk had turned what was going to be a simple sparring session to relieve tension into a dominance fight and that _he_ had been the one to be dominated. Then the shocking discussion that finished with the inescapable conclusion that all was _not_ right in Los Noches and the addendum to that was that they were now, seemingly, trying to raise enough interest to overthrow the Shinigami bastards that had elevated themselves to the highest level of power in Hueco Mundo. Plus, all the stress added onto his shoulders over the clashing of his new Beta instincts as they screamed at him to seek a quiet, safe den so that he could begin the process of preparring for the pregnancy, birth, and raising of his future cubs versus what he had spent the day doing, which was ensuring his personal long term safety as he made his way through the convoluted politics and conversations involved with the former Espada that made up the ranks of the Privaron.

Grimmjow blessed the fact that he had been an Alpha for so long that the complete change over to a Beta's more feminine looks and instinctive, submissive habits would take a lot longer for him than it did for someone who had lost their first claiming fight. It made it much easier for him to act as if nothing had changed today when he met up with all the former Espada and prevented him from letting anything slip about his new thoughts about Aizen and his leanings towards the uprising that he and Starrk were tentively planning. Grimmjow snorted quietly to himself as he opened up eyes that he hadn't realised that he had closed when he thought back to some of the conversations that he had had today. If he wasn't so proud of his strength and all of the effort he had placed into getting to his current level, he would be tempted to _arrange_ some manner of getting himself demoted to the ranks of the Privaron. It had been a while since he had dealt with so many seemingly sane indivisuals. Most of the current crop of Espada were certifiably insane, in his opinion. And that included the Fraccion.

Turning away from the door, Grimmjow couldn't help but release another quiet snort, this time in sheer amusement, when he spied the flame-haired Shinigami that he had fought against in the Living World. It was all he could do not to bust a gut laughing at the, now, former Shinigami when he saw him earlier that evening. Ichigo was a prime example of how much someone could change after losing a claiming fight. The boy had been obviously male when they fought last: now, the boy looked extremely androgonous. It was subtle, but if you knew what to look for, it was apparent. His hair had grown out until it hit the middle of his back, his facial features wouldn't look out of place on either a male or female, and his body shape had changed as well. His waist, narrow as it was to begin with, now looked even more slender with the way his hips had shifted into greater prominance. The only thing that prevented Grimmjow from doing anything other than laughing was the fact that he knew his own days of looking like a stud were also numbered and he didn't want the Strawberry to retaliate against him in a similar manner.

Stupid instincts! They were even shouting at him about how he treated others.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Grimmjow got ahold of himself before striding confidently over to the pile of cushions that his lazy Alpha was reclining in with Lilynette, his other, more excitable half. Ichigo was also over with Starrk, but was sitting up on one of the pillows near the edge of the pile. Grimmjow could see his lips moving and, as he come closer, was able to hear that the other was asking his mate questions about mating and other, similar questions.

"Gotta say, Szayel is right up there for scary with Mayuri. He doesn't quite reach the heights reserved for Unohana-Taicho though," Ichigo was saying with a slight grimace. "So. I didn't have much of a chance to ask you earlier since Szayel decided to go extreme scientist all over me, but I gotta know. Do Hollows mate for life?"

Even Grimmjow, who had never claimed to be able to read emotions well, could see a haunted expression flit across Ichigo's face when he asked that question and decided, as he drew near enough to find his own cushion to take a seat on, that he would let Starrk handle what seemed to be an explosion waiting to happen.

"Si. It may not seem like such to those that merely _watch_, but do not live as us. But we do. It is merely that life is brutal and muy mortal out in the wilds of Hueco Mundo and not many live to reach such power as you have seen here, within the walls of Los Noches."

Ichigo stared thoughtfully at the tall, lanky Espada as the latter lounged amoungst a veritable mountain of cushions, with a small girl curled up against his side, before opening his mouth to respond.

"I think I get what you're saying. All Hollows take mates for life, but they're either not powerful enough to defend themselves or don't have a safe place to live, so one or both of the mated pair end up dead."

"Yep," Grimmjow popped the 'P' at the end as he decided to make his presence known by entering the conversation. "It's more obvious at one of tha extremely rare villages of evolved Hollows, but even there, it's normal fer a mating ta only last a couple'a seasons."

"And what about being pregnant?" Ichigo asked softly, with one hand placed firmly over his lower abdomin. "Szayel confirmed that I am, but what does that mean for me? Is it normal for males to get knocked up if they're a Hollow? Is that the reason why part of me is insisting that I find someplace safe and in the back of my mind is a bit of me that is screaming for Aizen to get back here and stay with me? And why can't I hate that conniving bastard anymore? I mean, my head is telling one thing and reminding me of all that I know about him, but the entire rest of me is saying that Aizen is, well...everything to me now."

That last question was said with no real heat to it, just a quiet sort of despair that had Starrk and Grimmjow exchanging a look with each other, trying to decide who would address what seemed to be a raw wound in Ichigo's soul. After Grimmjow's glance became a bit more of a glare, Starrk cleared his throat softly and choose to do as his Beta obviously wished him too.

"The lack of negativo feeling towards a mate is part of our evolution. When all that lives around you can be considered as food, as well as mating prospects, it is for the best of the race that those who come together to continue the species do not view one another, or their offspring, as comida gratis and devour them. And so was born what is also bothering you. The hunger to devour was changed to the hunger of desire in those mated. The instincts you posses are merely nagging sugerencias with our power in this evolution; however, those Hollows of a lesser ability are ruled by them, instead of being merely guided along. And the longer one has lived, the better one is able to work around them."

"And all Hollows can get knocked up," Grimmmjow imparted. "It really is a case of 'you are what you eat' for us. And since we've eaten plus souls of either sex, every time we evolve just integrates what we've eaten tighter into us. And about those nagging instincts, tha louder they seem ta be bitchin' at ya, tha more important they are. They'll also get worse as ya get bigger with yer cubs."

Starrk gave an interested glance towards his Beta mate.

"How is it you know this, Mi Preciosa? I was under the impression that I was the first to claim your delicioso self?"

Grimmjow blaimed it on a combination of his new instincts and hormones when he felt his cheeks begin to burn, indicating that he was blushing. He promptly threw a nearby pillow at Ichigo, who had began laughing loudly at the sight of the blush on Grimmjow's face.

"Just because I've never been knocked up, doesn't mean that I've never been tha one that did tha knockin'," Grimmjow leered at Starrk. "It's just this place that's made me forget. I've sired cubs a time or two. Even had at least one of them live ta strike out on her own."

"Listen," Grimmjow said as he turned a serious face towards Ichigo. "Ya can't let Aizen know about me, Starrk, or any of it really. I don't know how much Starrk had a chance ta talk ta ya, but-"

"Something's not right here," Ichigo interupted, his own expression quite serious. "He and I were able to get a _bit _of talking in, and I figured that information was the most important so we concentrated on that instead of dealing with my new status. I agree completely with you two by the way. I'm also thinking that maybe I can run interference with Aizen for you when you start showing enough that it can't be hidden. Just give me a heads up a bit before it becomes necessary and I can be ready for it."

Ichigo suddenly stopped talking, cocked his head to one side, then turned all attention to Lilynette, giving Starrk and Grimmjow a warning look as he did so.

"You really do remind me a lot of my sisters, Lilynette. If you ever want to come see me, I would be happy to spend some time with you," Ichigo said quietly, sounding as though he were continuing a converstion with the tired, child-like Arrancar.

His actions were easily explained as the door opened, revealing Aizen standing in the opening.

"My thanks for watching over our newest resident, Primera. Ichigo," Aizen said, turning all his attention solely on the flame-haired Visored. "It is time to retire for the evening. Come."

Ichigo rose from his cushion without a word of protest.

"Thanks for introducing me around, Starrk. Hope to see you again," Ichigo said, firmly meeting the other's eyes.

Giving Grimmjow a slight nod of the head, as though they had only met briefly and Ichigo's main focus was on Lilynette and Starrk, Ichigo then turned and smoothly walked over to Aizen. Aizen promptly drew Ichigo firmly against his side once the other was near enough and possively claimed his mouth, easily dominating the kiss he was bestowing on the slighter male. Once he had decided that he had shown who had rights to Ichigo for long enough, Aizen left the room, Ichigo firmly held against him.

Once he was sure that they were alone again, Starrk faced Grimmjow.

"It seems as though much more is at odds than what had been thought originally, Mi Preciosa. Let me fill you in on what Ichigo informed me of involving his mating. Although you might have just seen some of what I will be telling you of."

"You mean about how odd Aizen was acting?" Grimmjow snorted. "It's pretty damn obvious that he wants tha Strawberry fer more than just a brood mare. I wonder if tha bastard even realizes that."


	10. Interlude: Visoreds

_This chapter came about due to a few reviewers asking about Soul Society's reaction to Ichigo and Aizen crossed with my husband's queries of what the Visoreds would be thinking/doing since Ichigo had been training with them when he just up and vanished, "Like a fart in the wind." (I love that movie.) Later that night, he burst out laughing and, when I pressed him for details, said that he had been imagining what Isshin would do to those that lost "his precious darling baby boy." And since I felt that last chapter I posted felt like a natural stopping point for the info that I wanted to put out and I was now ready to time skip, it seemed to me that an interlude was appropriate._

_I have no idea if this has been Beta'd. My proofer has been consistantly runing behind me on this story, unlike the others I've put out where he read them as soon as I said I was finished. _

* * *

"Alright! Break time's over!" Shinji Hirako caroled loudly as he burst through the doors that lead into the common room where everyone went to relax. He was greeted by an assortment of looks ranging from irritation, Lisa _really_ hated to be pulled away from her erotic manga, to calm acceptance, Hachi was the most even tempered person _ever_, to the twin glares of true anger Love and Rose shot at him from where they sat snuggled together in the far corner, they were always extremely..._clingy_...towards each other at this time of year. Kisuke Urahara had explained that it was a manifestation of their inner Hollows' instincts and just to stay away from anything that might be construed as a deliberate attempt to get between the two of them and everything would be just fine. The normal grin that Kisuke sported was even creepier than usual and so no more questions were asked at that point in time, but since then, everyone made sure to give Love and Rose plenty of alone time and never even hinted about trying to force them into having time apart when they were acting like this.

"Where's Kurosaki?"Shinji asked, looking around the room and seeing everyone but the one he was asking after.

"Eh," Hiyori waved a hand dismisively in the air from where she lay on the sofa, her head resting on Lisa's lap as she read along. "Strawberry said that he needed some space and hightailed it outta here. Said if we needed ta get him, that he would just be over at that broken-down, old amusement park the next block over. Apparently, we were getting on his last nerves or something and he said that he had to get out or he was gonna kill us."

"Fine, fine," Shinji grunted as he ran his hands over his face. "Kensei, go re-acquire the Strawberry for us, yah?"

Kensei gave an affirmative sounding grunt before dissapearing from sight in a burst of Shunpo.

It took Kensei an hour to return and when he did, the news he brought with him caused a massive commotion amoungst the small, tight-knit group.

Ichigo was missing. Not missing as in: scampered off somewhere for a break in training and Kensei was able to sense his spirtual pressure far off in the distance, but missing as in: Kensei couldn't sense any aspect of Ichigo's presence no matter how he concentrated and meditated on the massive reiatsu that the new Visored pumped out.

After much discussion, most of it of the shouted variety, a few cooler heads finally prevailed and it was decided that the most logical option was to go and see Kisuke Urahara and enlist his aid. The maddening genius would most likely have several methods already lined up to aid in tracking down whoever, or whatever, he felt like, whenever he felt like it. That was a man who did _not_ mean to get played a second time after the fiasco that was the creation of the Visoreds.

Once their plan of attack was finalized, i.e.) begging Hat'n'Clogs for his assitance, the next item that they began to fight over was who would be the unlucky sod that had to go and deal with the mildly sadistic genius. It was finally decided which person would be the one to seek aid by a few quick rounds of Jan-ken, all of which Shinji lost.

Grumbling under his breath about cheaters, and making sure it stayed under his breath as he moved past Lisa who was already curled up with her latest erotic manga since he didn't wish to be on high alert later when he finally fell into bed if he had disturbed her twice in one day, Shinji only had two thoughts in his head as he exited the old warehouse that they headquarted in. The first was doing whatever he could to convince Urahara to help them find Kurosaki. The second was keeping all knowledge about Ichigo's missing status from Isshin.

The second was much more important for Shinji's immediate health and safety and he shivered in dread at the thought of the overprotective, ex-Taicho's reaction if he ever found out that Ichigo had been lost under his guardianship.

So lost in thoughts and feelings of dread that the trip to Urahara's shoten passed in a blur and, much sooner than he had expected, Shinji was able to fling aside the door and, seeing Urahara sitting at the table quietly sipping his tea, quickly babbled out his message.

"We lost Ichigo!"

Shinji was rewarded for his focused vision that only revealed Kisuke to him by the the sound a tea cup makes when it is dropped from a hand and shatters on the floor, as well as the noise of someone jumping to his or her feet from a seated position.

"WHAT!?"

Shinji turned his head slightly to the side and was greeted by the sight of Isshin as he rose in fury from his place at the table. Also seated with Isshin and Urahara were Yourichi and Tessai, who had been about to pour out more tea into the cup that Isshin had dropped.

"Um...that didn't come out quite right," Shinji nervously prattled out before visibly pulling himself together and continuing on in a more confident and assured manner. "I mean to say that Ichigo Kurosaki, during a break in training, went out to find a bit of space and fresh air and failed to return in a timely manner. When Kensei Muguruma was sent out to retrieve Ichigo, he was unable to do so since he was unable to locate the boy. After trying every method known to him that would allow him to track down Kurosaki-san's reiatsu, Muguruma-san conceeded defeat on the subject and returned instead to the remaining Visoreds in an effort to seek aid.

After much disscusion, it was decided that the best course of action would be to enlist further aid from someone with greater resources than are currently available to the Visoreds at this time," Shinji finished relaying the information in a confident manner that befitted the once Taicho and instinctively settled into the waiting stance that he would adopt after reporting on his missions to the Fuku-Taicho.

Urahara merely blinked mildly at him in response before cocking his head off to one side and snapping open his fan, promtly hiding his face behind it as he did so. Shinji, failing to get a verbal response from Urahara and determindly ignoring the fact that Isshin had smoothly glided into position directly behind him and was currently breathing down his neck, opened his mouth again.

"I am here to ask for your aid, Kisuke Urahara, in locating and, possibly retrieving, Ichigo Kurosaki."

He was rewarded this time with a neutral hum, then the fan was unceremoniously shut and placed carefully on the table.

"Just so we are clear on the matter," Urahara stated in a neutral tone of voice. "The only person that we know of and can get our hands on that has reiryoko levels close to those of Aizen, and has _never_ seen his released zanpakuto, has come up missing after being placed in your hands for training in the very powers that would, hopefully, level the playing field between someone with massive, raw power and someone with both power and experience. Since you stated that you had to send someone out to retrieve said trainee, the logical conclusion is that you failed to provide at least a watcher to keep track of him. Am I correct?"

Shinji nodded nervously in affirmation. Between Urahara's neutral indifference and Isshin's crowding, with both his physical self and his subtly flaring reiatsu, Shinji was cursing his lack of luck with games of chance and vowed to make the other Visoreds regret sending him off to the Shoten. Shinji almost bit his own tongue when he was startled out of his thoughts of revenge when Tessai Tsukabishi, a person reknowned for being even more in control of his emotions than Hachi, dropped the tea pot he was still holding. All eyes immediately flashed their full attention onto the former Kido Corps Taicho.

"Boss, I was cleaning in the sensor room this afternoon when the sensor monitoring openings between the Living World and Hueco Mundo went off, signaling a Garganta had been registered by it. I inspected it to see if it could tell me more, since you upgraded it to reveal something about the power level of the one opening it and saw that it was the smallest amount ever registered. It turned itself off again very quickly again after the initial sounding."

The room was silent as everyone thought for a moment or two. The silence was broken by Isshin as he growled out the obvious conclusion.

"So. My precious baby, the one that I entrusted to others to finish the training of, the one that my darling Masaki bravely sacrificed herself for, the one that has _died and given up his humanity_, was obviously stolen, because I know that Kensei is a master at finding reiatsu. AND," Isshing thundered on. "He was taken away by someone _extremely_ powerfull on the other side. Powerfull enough to hide his reiatsu levels and powerfull enough to mask the fight that the two of them must have had for Ichigo to come up missing."

Before Shinji could voice the fact that Kensei failed to mention any signs of a battle of _any_ length, or size, Urahara spoke up.

"Not necessarily," Urahara cheerfully pointed out. "It could be a simple matter of Ichigo coming into his full Visored inheritance as an adult Hollow. If he simply failed to keep his inner Hollow at bay the way the rest of the Visoreds have been doing, Ichigo might have entered into his first mating cycle as an adult Hollow. I've always said that the boy is precocious, and even though I thought for sure that Love and Rose would have gotten there first, it isn't really too surprising to find out otherwise. If that's the case, Ichigo may have been snapped up to be the mate of some lower level Hollow, which would match up to the sensor's results."

Urahara rambled on, lost in his thoughts and completely ignoring the others in the room with him.

"Heh, if he won the fight they would have had, his mate could be expecting even now. Of course," Kisuke snickered, "he could have lost the fight, which is likely if it was someone powerfull enough to mask their spiritual pressure. If that's the case, _he's_ probably the one expecting Isshin's first grandchild. Pregnant, round, _waddling_ Ichigo would be a sight to see!"

"Grandbabies?" Isshin said in a tone of wonderment.

"WAIT!" Isshin suddenly bellowed out as he move out from behind Shinji, who gave a silent sigh of relief. "You _knew_ that something like this could happen and didn't take precautions!"

Urahara gulped visibly at the sight of an angry Isshin looming over him.

"Um...well you see...," Urahara trailed off before squaring his shoulders. He then stood up, stepped away from the table, shook his fan at Isshin while opening his mouth to say something, and promptly shun-po'd out of sight.


	11. Chapter 10

_**Well** this is obviously an early post for me. That's because the family and I are going to Washington D.C. for the next week and I felt that an early post for this chapter and a late post for the next one would be far, far better recieved than the alternative: Hiatus. The next several chapters will hopefully slow down the story and help progress the pregnancies, rather than what is going on with Aizen(which will be adressed again, don't worry). As I don't feel that they are so tightly intertwined, I haven't re-posted the previous chapter here._

* * *

The months slowly passed with Ichigo continuing to meet up with either Starrk or Grimmjow, or on rare occasions both, whenever he was able to slip away from Aizen's increasingly possesive grasp. He was aided in this by Szayel and, surprisingly, Gin. Szayel would allow the three of them to meet up in his laboratory during the times that Aizen would drop Ichigo off for the weekly exams that Aizen insisted were neccesary, although there were many times that fell through due to Aizen's insistence on remaining behind to monitor everything that Szayel did. When the three of them absolutely needed to meet up to discuss some new, puzzling aspect of Aizen's behavior or what needed to be done in regards to several of Aizen's created Espada, Gin would step up with some new tidbit of information or some trivial matters regarding the running of Los Noches that would allow the three conspiritors a chance to exchange knowledge. Not that they were able to meet up all that often, or Aizen would become rightfully suspicious.

Ichigo still laughed hysterically to himself in private whenever he would recall one memorable occasion when Gin couldn't think of any other way to get Aizen to leave the scheduled appointment so he staged something that backfired on him in a spectactular manner.

It was during Ichigo's second month and he had some information in regards to Aizen that he absolutely _had_ to get passed along to Starrk. He had noticed that whenever Aizen had a seemingly reasonable idea, he would fondle the handle of his zanpakuto and what had been a brilliant idea, if implemented the way originally envisioned, would become slightly more twisted and, somehow..._harsher_ the longer Aizen was in contact with his zanpakuto. It was quite disturbing to watch and he wasn't sure if it had been noticed by anyone other than himself, but he rather thought not, mainly because he was the only one that was almost permanently at the side of the ex-Taicho.

So giving the signal to Szayel that he had important information that _had_ to be delivered, one that they had agreed on at their first unsupervised meeting, Ichigo was able to lean back on the exam table secure in the knowledge that at some point before the exam would be finished it would find itself interupted in some manner that would require Aizen to leave Ichigo behind, allowing him to have some form of discussion with his fellow conspirators. So Ichigo simply rested on the table and allowed Szayel to get on with the examination. Not that it was a hardship.

For all that getting kidnapped, basically raped with the full cooperation of his Hollow's approval, and knocked up with the spawn of the Seireitei's number one enemy wasn't part of Ichigo's envisioned future plans, he couldn't possibly bring himself to hold the little one that he was expecting to blame for any of it and he had rapidily found himself to be excited by the weekly update's regarding the cub's progress. It had quickly become the highlight of Ichigo's week when Szayel would use one of his odd machines to magnify the miniscule trickle of reiatsu that the cub produced into a visible glow concentrated in his abdomen. Ichigo would focus on the pulsing glow as Szayel spouted off various bits of information. It was in this way that Ichigo learned that the average male Beta's pregnancy lasted for about 8 months, he would begin to show at about the third month and it would be very obvious by his fourth month which is when the cub or cubs would start to be able to be felt moving about.

Szayel also explained that it was impossible to tell how many offspring Ichigo could be carrying because the reiatsu the feotus produced would interfere with any and all methods of extracting the information. Even ultrasounds would be blurry and useless Szayel had explained when Ichigo brought up that question. The only thing that could be done was what they were doing: weekly check-ups on the bearer to determine his, in this case, health and to monitor the reiatsu pulses. From what Ichigo could gather of Szayel's underbreath mutterings, the pulses were similar to a human infant's heartbeat and could be used to track fetal distress.

So that was what they were doing. Ichigo was laying back against a slightly reclined table, Aizen was holding onto him firmly by the hand as the taller male pratically _loomed_ over the proceedings, and Szayel was inputting the information into one of his many devices when the familiar chiming notes that heralded Gin's impending entry into the room were heard. The next thing heard was the door crashing open which was followed by the sound of Gin..._giggling_!

Ichigo was stunned as Gin came into sight. The man was wearing something that wouldn't have been out of place at Woodstock and was giggling insanely as he attempted to draw flowers on his hand. Seeing that he had the attention of the three people in the room, Gin flashed them a bright, happy smile before skipping over to stand beside Aizen.

"Look what I've found Taicho!" Gin chirped as he held up what looked like a tattoo. One that he quickly licked and stuck to Aizen's cheek. "It's one of the party favors that Mayuri was giving out at the last Seireitei mixer! I was cleaning out my drawers when I spilled some water on my hand while it was holding it and now I feel great!"

"OH LOOK! A FLYING SQUID!" Gin called out and ran out of the room, jumping up and trying to catch something that only he could see.

"Excuse me," Aizen said in a controlled manner, but Ichigo could clearly see his pupils had completely dilated as whatever was in that Mayuri issued tattoo flooded his system almost immediately. "I think I have a squid, er..._associate_, to find and kill. Please watch over my Ichigo for me Szayel-san."

And Aizen quickly released Ichigo's hand and stalked out of the room. His exit was a bit ruined when Ichigo was able to make out a hint of a skip in his step. Ichigo couldn't hold back, and didn't want to, as a deep laugh spilled out from his lips at the realization that he had just watched Aizen get drugged. With something that had been given out by Mayuri. And did who-knew-what.

Gin. Was. Brilliant.


	12. Chapter 11

**Warnings: ** Same as before, with a brief mention of rape.

_**Previously**__ with Starrk and Grimm:_

_Once he was sure that they were alone again, Starrk faced Grimmjow._

_"It seems as though much more is at odds than what had been thought originally, Mi Preciosa. Let me fill you in on what Ichigo informed me of involving his mating. Although you might have just seen some of what I will be telling you of."_

_"You mean about how odd Aizen was acting?" Grimmjow snorted. "It's pretty damn obvious that he wants tha Strawberry fer more than just a brood mare. I wonder if he even realizes that."_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Starrk leaned against the wall in a shadowed corner of his bedroom as he watched his mate interact so easily with Lilynette. Lilynette had wanted to work a bit on her forms and Grimmjow had vounteered to help her so that he could have a chance to become a bit more familar with the other half of Starrk. Because it was so out of character for either of them, Grimmjow being helpful and Starrk letting someone else work with Lilynette, the three of them decided to meet up and work out in Starrk's room where they could be certain that the only one watching, besides themselves, would be Gin. They had chosen Starrk's room because it was the largest out of the two mates, being a full suite since he roomed with Lilynette after refusing to allow her to be removed from him.

Starrk watched in silence as Grimmjow calmly and patiently positioned Lilynette as she learned knew katas, then gently correct her when they moved onto reviewing the ones that she already knew. He waited until they had finished up their cooldown and Grimmjow sent Lilynette off to get cleaned up in the suite's bathroom before sliding foward and wrapping his long arms around his mate.

"You were amazing with her, mi tesoro," Starrk said before placing a series of gentle kisses against the back of Grimmjow's neck. "What you will be like with little ones of our own will be a spectacular sight as well. One that I am most impatient to see."

"Yeah well, ya gonna hafta wait some. These things take time, an' its only been three months since ya knocked me up. Ya got another five or six left ta go. Though accordin' ta Szayel we should be powerful enough that tha cubs should be born at the earliest end of tha estimate. Right at the beginning of tha eighth month instead of almost two full months further down tha line like a lesser Hollow."

Grimmjow then spun around in Starrk's arms so that he could face his mate. Placing a hand on either side of Starrk's face, Grimmjow gently pulled the taller male down into a passionate kiss, only breaking it off when the two of them were in obvious need of air.

"Ya know," Grimmjow rasped out as he alternated kisses and tiny nips to Starrk's chin and neck. "I'm grateful as anything that Hollows don't suffer from morning sickness, but if ya don't set about seeing ta tha _needs_ I got immediately, I'm probably gonna hafta rape ya. I'm painfully hard in front an' echoingly empty in back. Plus tha cubs are definitely in need of a bit of a feed off ya', so-"

Grimmjow was abruptly cut off when Starrk agressively attacked his mouth with his own, biting lightly on Grimmjow's bottom lip before thrusting his tongue in and mapping out the cavern. Starrk's hands went from cradling Grimmjow to grasping him tightly before they began to tear off all of the clothing that they came into contact with. Starrk was rewarded for his efforts by deep groans and the increasing amount of bare skin that was afforded to his roaming fingers. Once he could find no more fabric, Starrk pulled back a bit from his mate and allowed himself a moment to enjoy the sight of a flushed, panting Grimmjow as he stood just before him, completely naked and _very_ visably aroused. Determined to savor the time that they had together, Starrk dropped to his knees before his mate. He then, without any warning, snapped his head forward and took Grimmjow's throbbing arousal fully into his mouth, swallowing it down to the root without any difficulties.

Grimmjow let out a yelp of surprise when Starrk dropped out of direct eye sight that quickly turned into a scream of pleasure when he felt heat and moisture enclose his rigid member. Not able to help himself, Grimmjow grabbed ahold of Starrk's shoulders and began to thrust forward reflexively, but was halted in this by Starrk placing one hand against his hip and holding tight. Grimmjow was quickly brought to the precipice but was denied the right to fall over it when Starrk tugged painfully on his full, tight sack.

Pulling off of the deeply red, almost purple, member with an obscene slurping noise, not even trying to halt the drool that spilled from his mouth, Starrk mouthed at Grimmjow's hips as he spoke up.

"Ah, ah, ah, mi unica impaciente necesitados. You were just telling me that los mas pequenos were in just as much need as yourself. So you will not be allowed to peak until I am buried so deeply within your heat that when I flood your maravilloso increible self with my seed and reiatsu, it will be as though I am feeding the little ones directly, without you having to store the energy for them. Now," Starrk growled up at Grimmjow as he rose, freeing his erection as he did so. "Go grab ahold of something, turn around, and bend over. I am going to ride you fuerte and pump you so full of myself that it will appear that you are several months further along."

Grimmjow almost completely lost it at that and only the sharp, stinging sensation of Starrk reaching around and slapping him _hard_ across his backside was able to distract him. He then promptly spun around and, seeing the sofa was nearest, moved as quickly over to it as he was able with his twitching, aching erection bobbing painfully between his legs. Once there, Grimmjow bent foward over the arm of the sofa with his chest on the actual arm and his head resting further down on the seats. Feeling Starrk looming up behind him, Grimmjow braced himself for what was sure to be an agressive act of passion. He wasn't dissapointed either.

Starrk wasn't wasting any time, or holding anything back, when he grabbed ahold of his erection in one hand and Grimmjow's hip in another and steered himself into the twitching muscles that were guarding the entrance to his own personal nirvana. Once he had breeched the entrance, Starrk gave a sure thrust and buried himself completely to his lightly haired sack that now sat flush with Grimmjow's backside. He only paused a moment or two to ensure that Grimmjow was settled and, not hearing anything from Grimmjow to indicate otherwise, proceeded to draw back out. In contrast to his quick thrust home, Starrk pulled out slowly, almost agonizingly so, till just the head was held tightly within the ring of muscles where he paused, before pushing in slowly.

Starrk kept to the same madeningly pace until Grimmjow, aching and fed up, reached back with one of his legs and used it to pulled Starrk's legs out from underneath him, causing the other male to fall backwards onto the floor. Grimmjow wasted no time and followed him to the floor where, sitting facing Starrk's feet, he took Starrk's arousal back into his body and proceeded to ride it hard and fast, shifting a bit until the rigid length was consistently pressing into his prostate as he did so.

Neither male was able to last long at that speed and ferocity so it wasn't long at all until Grimmjow heard Starrk's deep grunt and felt his hot seed spurt out, painting Grimm's inner walls and triggering his own orgasm, that then rushed through him like a freight train, leaving Grimmjow dazed and confused as he come back to reality slowly.

When he finally was all with it again, Grimmjow was slightly surprised to discover that Starrk's erection was still stiff as it sat within him, even though his Alpha had climaxed.

"You surely did not think that that would be all, did you?" Starrk purred out as he grabbed ahold of Grimmjow and, with a twist of his muscles, placed him underneath of himself. "I was most serious in my statement to pump you so full that the uninformed would think you several months full of my cubs, not just three."

As Grimmjow's spent cock gave an interested twitch at the promise in Starrk's voice, Grimmjow himself didn't know whether to be excited or nervous over it. He still couldn't decide which it was when Starrk finally allowed the two of them to collapse into sleep several hours later, with the two of them being well sated in their exhausted state.

* * *

_The vacation was wonderful. D.C. and Williamsburg were a huge hit with the family, the weather was fantastic, and the crowds were almost non-existant. Yay! On the other hand, I literally just got home from a 13-hr return drive, with 3 kids in the backseat. Bleh..._


	13. Chapter 12

_And here's the chapter that I've been getting requests for: AizenXIchigo. Honestly, this story was supposed to have more of them: a lot more, but Starrk and Grimm apparently refused to stay in their secondary, advancing the story role that I had planned for them._

* * *

Starrk watched in fascination from under his almost closed eyelids as Aizen squirmed almost imperceptively. It was only due to an almost unheard hitch in his breathing that even alerted Starrk and drew his attention away from the information about the Soul King that Ichimaru-san was delivering. And Starrk was positive that the only reason that he had even heard that little oddity in Aizen's breathing was because of the new seating that the missing and still to be filled ranks of the Espada. With several of the Espada, mainly the ones that Aizen had created as Arrancars and not the ones that had evolved by themselves, failing to return alive from missions lately the new seating arrangement had him positioned next to Aizen's place at the head of the table.

If someone didn't know better, Aizen would appear to be the perfect image of a person giving all of his attention to the speaker. What gave him away, at least to Starrk's obseving eyes, was the odd little hitches in his breathing, the _extremely_ slight flush to his face, and the way that the man, who normally sat as though frozen, was twitching his hips foward and sliding downwards before straightening up again. It was also rather odd for Starrk to note that Aizen had pulled his chair completely under the table, which was, again, just slightly off. Aizen normally sat back a bit and looked far more casual in his pose than he did now. And were his fists clenched hard enough that his knuckles were white?

Starrk casually leaned foward a bit to pick up his cup of tea, but was, in reality, trying to see Aizen's nearest fist better. They were. What was going on with the man?

*SLAM*

Everyone was caught by surprise when Aizen slammed his fist onto the table top and turned to look at their leader, faces all showing that surprise. Even, oddly enough Gin. Which intrigued Starrk even more since it meant that the one giving the presentation wasn't more informed than any one else this time.

"Thank you for that," Aizen paused and his breathing did that odd hitch again. "Information. It was very...informative. We'll pick this up again later. Everyone please leave."

Everyone's face had some variation of an expression of disbelief on it, but they did as they were told under the implacable gaze of Aizen, who stayed seated. Starrk shrugged his shoulders and rose from the table as well, knowing that he could simply asked Ichigo later if he knew what was different about Aizen today.

"OH! Aizen you have got to feel this! It's _AMAZING_!"

Although mostly to the doors, when they heard Ichigo's voice yelling from under the table, the group turned around as one to see Aizen glaring fiercely at them.

"Out," Aizen growled. "NOW!"

The awe and fear that his face and voice inspired were quickly dispelled when Ichigo choose that moment to shout out again.

"Sousuke! I _need_ your touch! I can't wait any longer for it!"

The group turned back around and quickly escaped the room. Although muffled snickers could clearly be heard as they left, it wasn't until the door shut tight behind them that Starrk allowed himself the chance to release his own chuckles.

"I wonder if the reason that Aizen was unable to completely focus his attention on today's meeting had anything to do with the little Beta hidden under the table," Starrk commented to the few who had stayed around the door with him, rather than leave to find something else to do now that the meeting was cancelled.

Grimmjow smiled wickedly at his mate while, at the same time, placing a hand delicately over the forming buldge that indicated the growth of their cubs.

"Possibly. If said Beta had recently come ta an older, more experienced Hollow who, even though not a Beta until recently, still understood that Betas have _needs_ an' _cravings_ for certain things that only tha Alphas can supply. An' said older, more experienced Hollow might'a mentioned that it was more than acceptable ta take what tha little Beta needed whenever he wanted ta, regardless of where it was," Grimmjow's wicked smile faded as he carried on. "It also had tha added benefit of providing a much need distraction because this is tha first meeting where I was unable to hide in tha back of tha room, out of sight, since I started ta show."

Szayel and Gin, who were the only two to remain behind with the mated pair, shared a grim look as Starrk wrapped his arms tightly around Grimmjow, who was looking less and less masculine as the pregnancy progressed and becoming more and more androgynous. It was only luck, and the aid of the few in the know, that kept Grimmjow out of Aizen's way.

"We'll figure something out soon, mi Tesoro," Starrk whispered quietly into Grimmjow's hair. "We have almost all of the information now. We just need to finish assembling the facts into a recognisible order and come up with a plan."

Watching the two embrace, Szayel couldn't help but be grateful for the fact that only those two had entered into a mating frenzy this season and that they had found each other during it. He would have hated to think what would have happened if more of the Espada had come into season or if Starrk and Grimmjow had mated with others during their time. It was difficult hiding just the one mateship and resulting pregnancy, it would have been impossible if there had been more.

"Now then," Grimm said while pulling back slightly and a smirk re-forming on his face. "Tha little one in tha room behind us is getting his _needs_ seen ta, perhaps this Beta could have some of tha same?"

Starrk jolted to attention with an excited expression on his face. He quickly scooped up Grimmjow into his arms and was out of sight, leaving Gin and Szayel laughing themselves sick in the hallway.

_**Meanwhile, back in the room, shortly after the door shut...**_

"You little minx," Aizen growled as he pulled Ichigo out from under the table, ignoring the way his pants slipped down from the lack of fastenings. "This was the first time that I was able to schedule a sitdown meeting. One that would allow me to impart certain knowledge to my followers about the Soul King and the alternate means to enter his realm that I may have found in some buried notes that I discovered in a noble clans' _private_ library. A meeting that wasn't called to deal with the loss of Espada that seems to be plaguing my forces currently and has called for me to promote the demoted Privarons back into their former places since I am unable to use the Hogyoku at the moment while it is in use cracking the seals around the King's Dimension."

Ichigo tuned out the ranting and instead allowed all of his attention to be focused on the bobbing and weaving erection that Aizen was waving around unintentionally as he worked himself up. It was obvious from the sheen that it was well covered in moisture and had been well worked up, if the angry, purplish-red color was anything to go by. Ichigo licked his lips in pleased remembrance at how it came to be looking that way before being snapped back to the real world when he felt a movement under his abdomin's skin.

"Oh!" Ichigo said grabbing at his baby buldge. "Gimme your hand, bastard!"

Ichigo reached out and grabbed one of Aizen's wildly waving hands and forcibly placed it on the buldge that was the location of their offspring, after pulling up his shirt so that the hand could be placed on bare skin. Aizen calmed down immediately when he felt a small movement under his hand and, bringing up his other hand to cradle the bump, felt a jolt of amazement go through him.

"Is that...?"

"Yeah," Ichigo smiled down at Aizen as he knelt down to be at eye level. "That's what made me call out. It's the first time the little brat has felt like more than an odd bubbling sensation and I thought that you would be interested."

Aizen, looking up and seeing Ichigo's face glowing with pride and happiness, felt a jolt of desire sear him. Abruptly standing, Aizen grabbed Ichigo's bottoms and ripped them from him. He then lifted Ichigo up and placed him on the edge of the table, before freeing a hand and gently, but firmly, pressing Ichigo's top half down on the table, leaving his shirt bunched up around his chest and his legs hanging off the table's edge.

Ichigo looked up and met Aizen's gaze firmly. It may not have been anything that he would have agreed to at the time if he had had a choice, but they were mates now and all of his instincts were screaming at him to please his Alpha. So he followed what they were telling him to do and relaxed completely, tilting his head off to the side to show his absolute submission. After his talk with Grimmjow, Ichigo knew that the cubs needed regular infusions of the Alpha's reiryoku and that semen and blood were the easiest way for that to happen, which prompted that Beta to become more needy during the preporatory phase. Grimmjow had said that once he began the nesting phase, near the end of the pregnancy, he would only be able to handle blood because he would be to close to delivery for any sexual activity.

Aizen, after watching Ichigo completely submit to his attentions, could wait no longer. He placed one of Ichigo's legs over his shoulder and the other leg he scooped up with his arm, opening Ichigo up perfectly to him. Aizen then shuffled foward until his throbing erection was placed at Ichigo's twitching, self-lubricated entrance and thrust foward until he bottomed out, letting out a deep groan of satisfaction at the tight grip around his length. He only gave Ichigo a moment to become accustomed to the sudden intrusion before he began to pistion his hips. Sooner than he would have liked, but really, it was understandable considering just _what_ Ichigo had been up to under the table, Aizen felt a familar tightness drawing up in his gut. Reaching around the leg up on his shoulder, Aizen grabbed a hold of Ichigo's copiously weeping erection and began twisting and tugging on it in time to his frenzied thrusts.

It was a relief to Aizen, who was holding onto his control by the skin of his teeth, when he heard Ichigo scream out his release a couple of moments later. Feeling the incredible sensation of Ichigo's silken walls clamping down around him, Aizen immediately followed suit, hoarsely shouting out his own release to the world as he shot his seed deeply within Ichigo's body, the hot channel milking him and prolonging his euphoria. As he came down from his Ichigo induced high, Aizen took in the sight of Ichigo as he basked in his own post-orgasm utopia.

"Don't think that you are going to get off that easily, brat."

Aizen was pleased to see the dazed expression quickly flee from Ichigo face and get replaced by one of anxiousness.

"What do you mean?"

Ichigo tried, and failed, for non-chalance when he asked, stilled sprawled out across the table.

"You didn't think that I would let you go unpunished for the tormenting you did to me during the meeting, did you? This was merely the warm-up. You're not going to be able to look at a table for the rest of life without remembering what I'm going to do to you here today," Aizen said with a leer.

"All of our toys are back in the bedroom," Ichigo couldn't help but point out as he trembled in anticipation. Kami help him, but he couldn't stop himself from trembling when he thought back to the last time that Aizen had ''punished" him.

'Damn,' Ichigo thought to himself as he lost himself in the depths of Aizen's burning gaze. 'The man has turned me into a sex addict.'

"I'll manage," Aizen smirked, gently placing a finger against Ichigo's quickly re-firmed erection. "Bakudo No.1 Sai."

* * *

_From my research,_ Bakudo No.1 Sai_ was the binding used by Rukia in episode where she bound Ichigo's arms behind him. I don't know if it only can be used for arms, but _Sai_ means _Restrain_ and I figure if anyone would have researched the limits of Kido, it would have been Aizen as he fought to find the limits of his abilities._

_Also, I really want to thank all of those who've been favoriting, following, and reviewing this story. It's been a wonderful break from the crazy that is currently infecting my life. Thanks especially to_

Aria6, SexyBVirgo, SakuraKoi, clio1111, gundamzbd36, Mizuki 8D, inominatenoname, clobojojo, Firehedgehog, KrazieKat

_And for those laughing at the crazy in my life as I've posted it for you to follow along, the new one is a doozy. We have found a place to live! But we can only take posession of it a week _after_ we've moved out of our house. Feel free to face palm._


	14. Chapter 13

_This chapter, more than the entire story, is dedicated to _clobojojo_, my first 200th reviewer ever. Hope this works for MPREG goodness involving GrimmXStarrk._

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Startlingly teal-hued eyes narrowed in intense concentration as the massive predator silently stalked his well-deserved prey. There had been instances lately where his hunt had failed because of the youngling that was currently in his territory, but today, he would not be denied. He had been keeping an eye on the youngling with the assistance of his mate and their allies and knew that the other was well occupied out of his hunting area today. That meant that the object of his hunt was his for the claiming.

Hissing slightly under his breath in displeasure as he removed his gaze from the object of his desire, but knowing that it needed to be done, the predator hidden in the shadows quickly and effectively flicked his gaze throughout the area he was hidden in, looking it over and making sure that there was no one else around while also making use of his superior hearing. Once his more easily fooled senses reasured him about the emptiness of the area, he cautiously and discreetly began to release a small measure of his reiatsu out, using it to blanket the area and and give him the last confirmation needed that there were no others waiting in the wings to swoop down upon his prey at the last minute.

A triumphant, tooth-baring smile flashed across his face when all tests confirmed that he was the only one any near his prey. The hunter was so pleased about the outcome of his test that he began to unconciously purr whenever he breathed. Sliding foward out of his hidden, shadowed corner, the ferocious hunter moved awkwardly into position near his unmoving prey before crouching down, as best he could, into a form that would give him the best chance of catching it in one mighty pounce. Wiggling his body in his excitement, the hunter sprang forward, taking his unknowing prey completely by surprise.

Letting out a triumphant warble, Grimmjow allowed himself a moment to cuddle the down-filled, burgandy-colored, raw silk pillow tightly before deciding that he needed to take his well earned treasure back to his den as quickly as possible. Glancing suspiciously around as if the room that he had confirmed empty several times over was suddenly going to sprout other Betas that would covet _his_ prize, Grimmjow went from standing still to bounding off in one heartbeat.

Well, he attempted to bound off. It wasn't all that effective of an attempt lately what with his ever increasing girth and widening hips. He really looked more like he was skipping in a rolling, drunken manner. In slow motion. The added weight from the pregnancy as he approached the end of his fifth month was really affecting his sense of balance as well. Grimmjow couldn't stop the scowl from appearing on his face as he made his way down the hall, remembering a few of the jokes that he had been hearing the remaining Espada cracking at his expense. Fortunately those Espada still remaining, or those recently re-promoted back into their former rolls, were all those that had a semblance of sanity. At least enough to see through Aizen's control and thus be spared from the purge instituted by Starrk and himself, with assistance from the Strawberry, Gin, and Szayel.

Grimmjow slowed down and began to pay closer attention to his environment as he came to the hallways that led to the majority of the inhabited rooms. It wouldn't do to run into that bastard Aizen, especially when they had all been so extremely careful. Grimmjow couldn't remember the last time he had spent any time alone with the Shinigami, it had been so long ago. When full meetings were called they were all being held at the massive table, thanks to the intervention of Ichigo. Ichigo insisting that he _had_ to stay in Aizen's presence and that he absolutely had to sit while doing so, and the whole time he was speaking to Aizen, the little berry had been gently rubbing his swollen belly and pouting.

Damn. He really, really owed the strawberry.

And thanks to the rest of the Espada, Grimmjow always found himself seated at the table early, before Aizen showed up, or completely surrounded when they went to leave. Even his missions to the living world to spy and stir up trouble were being handle beautifully by his mate and Lilynette.

Although it had been getting more and more difficult to work around Aizen as his ranks of insane, do-anything-commanded-of-them Espada were thinned out and his plans had to be pushed back and re-worked everytime that happened. Grimmjow had noticed that the man would obsessively caress his zanpakuto after every bit of news that he received, both bad and good. Well, what little good news that he was given lately.

Grimmjow snickered at that last thought and cuddled the luxurious pillow tighter as he opened the door to Starrk's suite. Pulling the door tightly shut behind him, and ensuring that it was securely locked as well, Grimmjow finally allowed himself to relax as the familar sights and scents that scream 'home' and 'safety' washed over him. Gliding foward, Grimmjow made for the room farthest from the entrance way.

'Definitely gliding,' Grimmjow thought to himself. 'No matter what anyone else says, I ain't waddling. An' I am sure as shit_ not _an adorably plump, giver of life like tha nutty human girl tha's friends wit' tha' berry an' being loomed over by tha pyscho nut job, Ulquiorra, has been _chirping_ at me.'

Grimmjow entered his and Starrk's bedroom as he made his way back to the walk-in closet that was where he was assembling the den that his instincts were demanding. It wasn't as safe as he would have liked, being in Las Noches and _really_ to near Aizen for his tastes, but with Szayel's best guess at his due date being only about two months away, his instincts had gone into over drive and had him out and about collecting items for the birthing den. Unfortunately, Ichigo was about level with him for due date, so the two of them had been in competition for the nesting material resources offered around Las Noches.

Grimjow still clearly remembered talking with Ichigo about the time he had asked Szayel why he couldn't give a more precise due date. It had been at one of the rare check-ups that Aizen wasn't pulled away from and he was told that it was because the more powerful the Hollow, the shorter the gestation. It all had to do with the fact that more powerful Hollows had greater reiryoku reserves, allowing the cubs to feed off of them and develop faster. Lesser level Hollows had to build up their power levels by hunting and consuming other Hollows, which became slower the further the pregnancy progressed because by the end of it, the one expecting wasn't able to hunt alongside of its partner and had to wait for whatever was brought back to it. Add in the fact that both Starrk and Aizen were extremely powerful in their own right and were also helping feed the little parasites via reiatsu and all Szayel could say was that the two of them were headed for the earliest possible delivery date a Hollow could have, which was at the very end of the seventh month. Szayel had expressed shock if either of them were able to make it out of the first week of the eighth month before giving birth.

Ichi being in the same stage of pregnancy as him was actually working out in his favor, when Grimmjow thought about it, as he smirked at the sight of his den. Aizen had had a wide variety, and massive amounts, of material imported from the living world and placed about Las Noches for his little berry mate. Of course, that was only after Szayel had informed the two of them at that check-up that Ichigo's instincts would _demand_ that he hunt for and acquire what was needed for his birthing den, as only he would be able to tell what was..._correct,_ for lack of a better term. Which meant amazing pickings for the two of them. Fortunately, they both went after different items for the most part. It was only when it came to anything made out of silk that they overlapped.

Grimmjow gave a pleased grunt when he carefully lay down in the riotous mass of color that filled the closet floor. His den had been made up with every scrap of silk that he could get his paws on, as well as cotton and, oddly, linen. He just fell in love with the crisp scent, look, and feel of it. Placing his new pillow behind his head as he reclined against the small mountain of cushions, pillows, and one stuffed animal resembling a penguin, Grimmjow let his eyes close for a moment in contentment as he savored the bliss that overwhelmed his senses as his instincts told him all was correct and perfect in his world.

Only to open them again an unknown amount of time later to feel fingers gently carding through his longer, silkier locks. Rolling his head to the side, his barely opened eyes were met by a gently smiling Starrk who was close enough to plant a quick kiss against his lips before he pulled back a bit. As he became more and more aware of his surroundings, it was finally registering that there was a steady source of warmth all down his side that could only be coming from Starrk's body. Grimmjow gave a pleased, sleeply sounding grumble as his body follwed after his head and rolled onto his side, placing him in a better position to cuddle into his Alpha's pleasing warmth and scent, not registering that his hands were telling him about bare skin as they reach out and settled on his Alpha.

Starrk leaned foward again to place a kiss on his forehead, but this time he didn't pull back. He instead followed up his kiss with several more: gentle kisses that slowly followed along the curve of his face and became more and more heated until Starrk's mouth had become firmly attached to the pulse point of Grimm's neck, sucking and nibbling at it. Grimmjow was slow to respond, which was probably a mix of the gentle nature of the build up and his unexpected nap, but by the time Starrk had finally pulled off of his neck, leaving a satisfactory livid marking behind, Grimmjow was panting and rocking his hips forward to try and find some friction for his fully aroused member.

Starrk reached out and wordlessly began to slide Grimmjow's sleep rumpled shiakusho off of his shoulders, kissing at every bit of exposed skin that was revealed. When Grimmjow's lightly swollen nipples were exposed, Starrk immediately ceased playing with the rest of his body to lave the firm pebbles with his tongue, alternating with sucks and _extremely_ gentle nips from his teeth. He did not want to get told off the way that he had last time he was too rough with the overly sensitive buds.

Reaching down with his hands, Starrk continued to strip his aroused Beta out of the rest of the unwanted clothing until he was gifted with the sight of his pregnant mate in all his ripe glory writhing beside him. Starrk used gentle hands and soft commands until he had his mate in position over him. Starrk teased the Beta with roaming hands that touched everywhere and lingered nowhere as he rocked his hips ever so slightly, nudging at Grimmjow's naturally slick entrance with his own throbbing need, breeching the opening slightly while taking care to never push fully into the hot, moist depths that were calling out to him.

Grimmjow had obviously had enough of the teasing torment that his mate was putting him through when he growled and sat back, hard, on his heels when he felt his Alpha's length begin to just breech him once again, causing the large erection to fully enter him finally. Not even pausing for a moment to acclimate to the sudden, but obviously welcomed, intrusion, Grimmjow began to bounce enthusiatically, riding his mate's erect length like a purpose built machine.

Starrk released a deep groan but, determined to regain some control over the slow lovemaking he had had planned out, confidently reached out and began to stroke his mate's bouncing, drooling erection, getting a gasp for his effort. Using his other hand, Starrk lovingly fondled his Beta's balls as they rested in their tight sack that was currently half the size it had been as his mate's body change itself to accomodate it's new Beta status. Giving his mate a gentle squeeze on the upstroke, with a twist of the wrist when he reached the crown, Starrk was rewarded by the sensation of the tight, silken tunnel he was buried into becoming tighter as the muscles beginning to seize around him.

Grimmjow was lost in sensations of pleasure when, with a hoarse shout, he came, pulsing his seed out in rapidly cooling spurts over his Alpha's chest. Starrk followed soon after as he thrust up into the pliant, recovering body of his mate. Coming down from their mutual daze, Starrk and Grimmjow exchanged a couple of kisses and half-hearted gropes, as they fumbled around for something to wear and began to cover themselves up again.

"Not that I'm complainin' or anythin', but what brought that on?" Grimmjow leered gently at Starrk, while pulling his top closed.

"I thought that it would be a pleasent change up from the fast and furious that we have been having lately," Starrk grinned lazily at his mate, already dressed and standing just inside the closet door. "I had accidentally overhead Aizen saying that he would be out for several hours and choose to spend them making pasion llena amado with you."

Starrk held out his hand to Grimmjow and, after it was taken, led his mate out to the front room. Helping Grimmjow settle himself down on the sofa first, Starrk then slid in behind and began to firmly rub his hands on Grimmjow's lower back: a place which Grimm had been complaining endlessly about as giving him pain.

Starrk opened his mouth to speak, but what he was about to say would be forever lost as the room shivered about them, revealing Aizen seated facing them on the other sofa. He was fondling his zanpakuto with one hand while the other played with a fine silver chain that led, to Starrk's and Grimmjow's increasing alarm, to a collar that was worn by Ichigo, who was kneeling prostate and naked on the floor before the ex-Shinigami.

"I believe," Aizen casually said, "that was have some..._matters_ to discuss."

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_And, extremely unusual for me, a CLIFIE! Dun, dun, dun..._

_Thanks to everyone for their response to my fic! I love seeing the stats and reading reviews, it really fires me up and inspires me to continue writing. Now I have to go deal with some death and destruction as my husband and I are dismantling the kids' outside playstructures in preparation of moving out in 5 days._

_The thought of my husband and tools gives me the crawling heebie-jeebies: I normally do all of the maintenance for the house._


	15. Chapter 14

_**Warnings:**_ Violent, possesive sex/borderline rape/extremely dub-con

_**Disclaimer:**_ Still don't own, or make money from.

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The day had started out as normal as they had been for him lately. Ichigo was awakened by Aizen rousing his body to a feverish, desperate need for release before finally giving him what he now _craved_ from the ex-Taisho, followed by the man giving him a _thorough_ bath, ensuring that a quick shower afterwards was entirely neccesary. Afterwards, Aizen would lead Ichigo to the massive walk-in closet and choose what articles of clothing would be used to best display Aizen's well-marked property, quickly check on the nest of material that Ichigo's instincts were demanding from him, then they would have breakfast in the dining room of their ridiculously large suite, served to them by the lesser Arrancars that hadn't quite measured up to Aizen's standard.

Today, however, felt off to Ichigo. It wasn't anything that he could point to and say, "Yep. That right there. _That's_ the problem." It was just there, in the room, in a hundred lttle things that didn't had up right. Ichigo, wanting to go speak to Gin or Starrk about the oddness and see if either of those two would be able to help him narrow down the feeling of _not-right_, asked to be excused and was met with a distracted, affirmative mumble.

Which creeped him out and reinforced the sensation of _wrongness_. Aizen never failed to be fully in the moment and had never, in Ichigo's experience, mumbled at him before. Shooting an alarmed expression over to his Alpha, Ichigo was met with a mild expression of genile confusion.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo-kun? Do you not wish to go and visit?"

"No, no. Nothing's wrong," Ichigo hastened to respond as he, as quickly as he was able with a great big belly throwing off his balance and normal grace, rose from his place at the table. "I just thought that you would be wanting to escort me to the rec room, like you normally do when you don't keep me with you. But I can clearly see that you are extremely busy today, so I guess that I'll just see myself out."

Ichigo was in such a hurry to leave and talk to someone about the sense of oddness that he was currently experiencing that he never noticed Aizen's smirk or that the ex-Shinigami drew his zanpakuto and whispered to it the moment that Ichigo's back had turned to him. At the door to leave, Ichigo turned enough to look over his shoulder at Aizen.

"If you need to find me, I'll be in the rec room all day."

And with that last parting bit of information, Ichigo turned and sped off down the hallways as quickly as he was able, impatient to find one of the group of conspirators to talk to over his unease. He was a bit out of breath by the time that he finally managed to reach the doors to his final destination and so he paused for a moment to try and catch it again. Ichigo was incredibly happy and excited over his expected cubs, as he would never hold the circumstances of their conception or their sire against them, but he really couldn't wait to cease being pregnant. The added weight that threw off his balance, the fact that his testicles had shrunk and were drawing out of the way for the birth channel to form, and the difficulties in sleeping that the movement of the cubs and his sheer size were giving him were all things that he couldn't wait to stop experiencing.

Ichigo had never been so greatful to getting the correct information about mates and heat cycles from Szayel, Grimm, and Starrk as he was the day that he learned that Aizen would be unable to to keep him constantly either pregnant or nursing. Ichigo would only come into heat, now that he was a fully matured, Beta Visored, when feeling completely safe and was absolutely heathly. And although his newly recognized instincts may be insistant in how Ichigo treated his Alpha mate, the truth of the matter was that he just didn't feel entirely safe in Las Noches.

Grimacing slightly to himself as he thought that last bit, Ichigo pulled open one of the double doors and shuffled his way inside. On the way over to the couches, Ichigo was able to make out that a new shipment of textiles from the living world must have come in and his inner self was almost purring in contentment as he took in the sight of multiple silk pillows piled up on his favorite sofa. He would have to take a few back to the den in the closet that he was making up under Aizen's watchful eyes, but maybe he could get Gin to take a few of them to Szayel's labs and stash them in his back-up den that he was making out of sight from Aizen.

Ichigo was so lost in contemplation over which pillows he would place in which den that he startled into releasing a high-pitched yelp when a zanpakuto came sailing out of no-where and landed with several bounces on the pile of pillows in front of him. Leaning foward a bit to get a better view, Ichigo was shocked to see that it was Zangetsu. Ichigo crouched down and, with tears in his eyes, reached out a trembling hand to pick up the missing part of his soul but, before he could complete the action, hands reached around him in a tight hug.

"Ichi-chan! I see tha' ya like my present to ya. It took some doin' but I finally was able ta find where tha bastard had locked him away at," GIn tightened his hold around Ichigo and pulled him back up into a standing posistion. " An' imagine my surprise when I got here this mornin' ta give him to ya and found tha' you're here without tall, dark, and psychotic loomin' over ya. What's up with tha' anyway?"

Ichigo brushed the lingering tears away from his eyes and turned to face Gin when the other male finally relaxed his hold.

"I don't know why Aizen let me come here alone this morning. It felt that something was off this morning and I was in a hurry to get here to talk it over with you, or someone else from our core group, and when I asked Aizen if I could go he _mumbled_ at me before shooing me out all by my lonesome."

"Maybe you're experiencing something ta do with the little ones, then? That may be why ya feel off."

"Possibly," Ichigo said agreably, calming down a bit with Gin's reasonable suggestion. "But on a completely different note, after you've taken some of my new pillows to my secondary den, could you pass on a message to Szayel for me? I would love to spend some time with Grimmjow and compare pregnancy woes. It's been over two months since we were able to see each other for any length of time except in passing, because of how busy he, Syazel, and Starrk have been over planning, and carrying out, the deaths of Aizen's insane Espada. I really could use some time with an older, more experienced Beta, even if Grimmjow's new to this side of the mateship thing as well. He at least has some idea of what to expect since he was on the other side as an Alpha before. I'm completely blind about things and no one else in our little group as ever mated before."

"Well that certainly explains multiple things."

To Ichigo's horror, he heard Aizen's voice coming from Gin's mouth. Backing away, Ichigo watched as the rec room disolved around him, leaving him blinking in confused horror at the familar sight of his and Aizen's bedroom. Ichigo collapsed when something hit the back of his legs, but luckily it was just the bed and so he was supported as he fell backwards onto the large surface. He immediately began to struggle to rise back to his feet, but his girth was a massive hindrance to him and then, suddenly, Aizen was there looming over him with both hands pressed firmly against the mattress on either side of him with his feet solidly planted on the floor, effectively pining him down on their mattress.

"We shall be addressing the various bits of information that were presented by you in greater detail later, but first it shall be ensured that you will go nowhere and think nothing that I do not approve of from this time onward."

Aizen then grabbed ahold of the opening for Ichigo's top and, with a burst of strength, tore it in two with one pull, leaving the scraps to hang from Ichigo's arms and his torso completely bared to Aizen's perusal. He slid his hands over slightly until his fingers were ghosting gently over Ichigo's nipples, causing them to firm. Aizen pinched the pebbled peaks and gave each of them a harsh twist, relishing in the pained cry that was released from Ichigo as he jerked upwards. Sliding his hands further down, they encountered more fabric: fabric that quickly went the way of Ichigo's top, drawing another pained cry from Ichigo as the crotch of the material hung up and dug into his more sensitive areas.

Aizen quickly flipped Ichigo over, ensuring that his hips remained raised and that no pressure was befalling the precious bulge that was housing his future weapon. Releasing Ichigo with one hand, Aizen then used it to fumble out his erection from its confines. Once it was free, Aizen replaced his hand on Ichigo's hip and, with a firm tug, pulled Ichigo backwards until the Beta had most of his weight over his folded legs, and not evenly supported over both knees and hands.

This left Ichigo's backside hanging slightly off the back of the bed, effectively bringing his twitching entrance to the perfect height for Aizen to thrust his hips foward and impale his mate with his massive, throbbing erection. Which he promptly did, trusting that their regular morning activities and a Beta's natural lubrication would work together to ensure that Ichigo wouldn't be too badly damaged by such an action as he pushed forward till he was completely buried to the hilt in Ichigo's hot depths. Not pausing in the slightest, Aizen then pulled out and quickly fell into a harsh, punishing pace, beginning to chant as he did so.

Feeling his completion rapidly approaching as he continued his harsh pace, ignoring Ichigo's cries of both pleasure and pain as he slid in and out while hammering brutally against Ichigo's prostate, Aizen leaned over slightly and grabbed the back of Ichigo's neck with one hand hard enough to immediately leave bruises. With the other hand, Aizen forced it between the compressed space of Ichigo's legs and belly and began to strike Ichigo to a screaming completion. Only as he felt Ichigo's spasming muscles clench tightly around him did Aizen finally allow himself to reach his own orgasm and as he let go, he shouted out the last few words needed for his chant.

Under the hand on Ichigo's neck a heavy silver collar formed. It had no visable means of closure or hinges, a delicate silver chain tinkled musically against it from where it hung on a small loop in the front of the collar. And if someone had, at the moment that the collar had come into existance, been watching Ichigo's expressive eyes, they would have seen all the fire and determination that normally burned brightly in his shining orgs drain out and be replaced with a look of placid contentment.

Breathing harshly, Aizen pulled out of Ichigo's thoroughly used entrance, enjoying the sight of his seed spilling out of the stretched hole and trickling down Ichigo's thighs.

"Now that any piddling little thoughts that you might have had have been taken care of, let us continue our pursuit of accurate information," Aizen said as he smiled urbanely down at an unmoving Ichigo. "Perhaps we should even finish this oh-so-important disscusion in the Primera's rooms?"

Taking a moment first to tuck himself back away, Aizen reached down and picked up the delicate silver chain. Giving it a firm tug and telling Ichigo to "come", got the Beta up and moving gracefully after Aizen as he prowled out of their rooms and down the many hallways seperating his private area of Las Noches from those portions that had been turned over to his weapons and war fodder.

Aizen didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to Ichigo as the other trailed after him, naked but for the collar and bracelets, leaking semen, with his head bowed down and his eyes submissively lowered to the ground.

Reaching the doors of Starrk's suite, Aizen drew Kyoka Suigetsu and whispered several words to the blade before pushing open the doors and heading further into the rooms. When Aizen came to the central living area, he sat regally down in the center of one of the couches, but not before carefully sheathing his zanpakuto again. Giving a harsh tug on Ichigo's chain, and several commands, Aizen was able to get Ichigo into the position that best pleased him at the moment, which was having Ichigo kneel in a fully prostate position before him. Such a position hid most of Ichigo from view, while at the same time making it obvious that the male was unclothed and had been recently claimed again by Aizen as the seed inside of the Beta kept its slow trickle out of the well-used hole and dried on Ichigo's skin.

Aizen was prepared to wait, but fortunately for him, he found that he wouldn't have to. Shortly after he had claimed his seat and had Ichigo take his proper position at his feet, the two that he wished to see and question before wiping their memories and instincts clean again walked into the room and took a seat on the sofa opposite him, curled up around one another.

Aizen reached down and fondled his zanpakuto as he thought about how he wanted to do this and, as he did so, he released his hold on the illusion preventing the two of them from having any hint that their sancuary had been invaded. Ignoring the reaction they had at the sight of him seated casually on their furniture and the way that Ichigo was kneeling prostate, naked, and completely silent, Aizen opened his mouth and spoke up, breaking the silent tableau.

"I believe," Aizen casually said, "that we have some..._matters_ to discuss."

"Yes we do," came an unknown voice from the direction of the doorway.

Startled, three sets of eyes turned instinctively to where the voice had announced itself.

Standing in the doorway of the room was a petite being, dressed in an all black cloak with the hood drawn, which cast the face into shadowed darkness, and bearing a scythe that towered a good foot in height over the being. One would be hard pressed to say whether the being standing there was male or female. The small voice sample provided was inconclusive, and the lack of height was more indicative of females, but if Aizen had been pressed to hazard a guess, he would have ventured forth an opinion of male based on the way the other was holding himself.

Aizen was drawn out of his study of the other and his contemplation of the few clues provided by the other speaking up again.

"We do indeed have a great deal to speak of, Susuke Aizen. You, me, and your zanpakuto will be having a rather indepth discussion and based on the answers and information the two of you will provide, will determine just what shall be done with the two of you. Now then..."

And with that, the being swung his great scythe at Aizen, sending out a massive wave of light that, when eyes had finally ceased tearing up and were able to focus again, revealed that the former Shinigami Taicho was no-where in sight and that Ichigo was laying down, asleep on the the couch, wearing only low-slung pants to afford him some modesty. The lack of upper body covering on the flame-haired Beta revealed quite clearly that the controlling collar and the rieatsu inhibiting bracelets were no longer adorning his massively pregnant body any longer.

"What tha fuck jus' happened?" Grimmjow turned stunned and confused eyes to those of his mate, only to be met with eyes that showed an equal level of confusion.

"I do not know, mi amor. I simply do not know. I can only hope that it is something maravilloso for us though or we shall be in a great deal of difficulties when, or if, Aizen is returned to us."

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_Mwa-ha-ha! My evilness knows no bounds! Two, TWO, clifhangers in a row. Soon I shall be on the look out for evil minions to do my bidding, as I stay in my hideout and cackle madly._

_Thanks again to all those alerting, favoriting, and especially those who take a second or two and review. It really means a lot to an author._

_And to those following along with my moving drama, I'm currently homeless and living in a hotel for a week until we take possesion of our townhouse. Joy._


	16. interlude: Soul Society

Tessai looked up from the monitor when he heard a noise that indicated that someone had accidently collided with the door jamb. Letting out a gasp, he leapt out of his chair and waved the man he saw over.

"Hey boss! I think that you need this more than I do."

"Look that good do I?" Urahara said with a little snort and a wave of dissmisal, but he did walk over and take the offered chair, letting out a sigh of relief once he was sitting in it. "Don't answer that, by the way. I'm well aware of what I've looked like the past month. Every night since Isshin caught up to me, it's been with a different photo of his boy, him telling me the story that accompanies it, then him hauling my ass down to the training room where he leaves our zanpakuto at the ladder and proceeds to whale on me using his fists and feet. And elbows, knees, and every other body part. He knows damn well that I wouldn't even work up a sweat beating him if we used kido, and that if we just stuck to blade work we would be evenly matched, but no, he chooses something I've never been especially skilled in to drive in home that I'm an idiot. Which I had figured out the first night, thank you very much."

Urahara pinched the bridge of his nose, briefly allowing himself the pleasure of closing his eyes and pretending that nothing had happened. That Ichigo had never disapeared, that Aizen had never defected; heck, that he had never invented the Hogyoku. _That_ one he wished for rather a lot, come to think of it. Pushing it to the back of his mind once again, Urahara straightened up from the unconcious slouch he had fallen into and peered intently at the screens before him. Reading the information provided, Urahara had to finally admit defeat.

It had been a month and they were no closer than before to locating Ichigo. During the first week, they had had to reconfigure the machines to run in the low-spirit particle atmosphere of Hueco Mundo, but once that was done, it was relatively easy to open a small tear and send in several sensors. Unfortunately, the information sent back to the main machines was proving to be rather inconclusive. It was now proven that Ichigo was _somewhere_ in Hueco Mundo, but that was all that they could get without the more sophisticated and sensitive equipment that he had created back in the Soul Society.

There was nothing for it but to relay that bit of information to Ichigo's friends, the Visoreds, and Issin.

'Oh _kami_! Why me?' Urahara groaned to himself when he thought of having to inform both the Visoreds and Isshin that they would be having to return to the place that they had all vowed to never return to until the corruption had been dealt with.

'Although I do have to give Aizen some credit for cleaning out a good portion of the nest of vipers when he dealt with Central 46,' Urahara thought as he reached into a pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

Urahara just knew that this was going to give him a migraine.

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Dealing with the assorted personalities involved was every bit as horrendous as he thought it was going to end up being, but in the end, Kisuke was able to get it done.

"Thanks for agreeing to be our liason," Urahara said as he stepped out of the Senkai gate, waving a hand at Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake who were the only two people waiting for him and the rest of the mismatched group following after.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Shunsui said as he leered at Yoruichi Shihoin. "What are drinking buddies for if not to be called in for favors. Well favors and telling embarrasing stories, like the time you-"

"Shun, enough. There will be time for reminscing later," Jushiro quietly, but firmly, stated. "First thing we need to do is have some of the lesser seats take your things to the barracks that have been assigned to all of you, temporarily of course, then the Sou-Taicho has stated a request for a meeting immediately upon your arrival. He wishes for all of the other Taichos to be filled in and has relegated that task to yourself, Urahara."

"Well, yeah...there's that," Shunsui said with a hand on the back of his head, pushing his sugegasa down farther over his already shaded face. "NANAO! THERE ALL HERE! BRING OVER THE PEONS!

"I just didn't think that Kisuke wanted to be ambushed the second he showed up with the knowledge that the old man has appointed him to be the liason between, well..._everybody_!" Shunsui concluded in a lesser volume after bellowing for his Fuku-Taicho.

Kisuke manfully restrained himself from swearing loudly and finding the nearest flat surface to beat his head against.

It would take another month before he was able to finally foist the liason job off onto someone else, and that was only because he waited until Shinji finally gave in to Shunsui's pleading to go out drinking with him. Thank Kami that Shinji couldn't hold his liquor to save his life, that he _always_ remembered everything that happened when drunk, and that he would always do what he said he would if he had given his word.

It was of no matter, really, that Urahara _might_ have helped Shunsui out just a teeny, tiny little bit during that first drinking contest. After all, it was pure chance that Shunsui's stoneware cup was twice as thick as the dainty little china piece that had been passed to Shinji.

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The third month that Ichigo had been missing, came the first real break. The greater power behind the computers in the 12th Division had really made all of the difference, just like Urahara knew they would. Not to mention the increased, skilled manpower that having access to his old Division afforded him.

Unfortunately, the results that came back clearly indicated that Ichigo's reiatsu was firmly entwined with that of Aizen's and was showing signs of further colors and strengths twisting randomly throughout it. Which meant that Ichigo had been taken and mated by Aizen and that they were now expecting cubs, Urahara had had to gently explain to Isshin after pulling him off to one side at the meeting where Shinji was laying out their findings. He also explained that all of their findings had absolutely shown that Ichigo was in good health and well cared for. Kisuke also stated that they were finishing up several microscoptic drones that should be done with by next month and would allow them to _see_ what was happening in the palace of Las Noches. Urahara promised that Isshin would be the first person outside of the monitoring room to see pictures of Ichigo.

"I'm going to be a Grandpa? Grandpa Isshin. _Papa_ Isshin" Isshing said in bewildered wonderment, a large grin spreading across his face once he had been reasured about the health and safety of his oldest child.

Urahara, seeing Isshin relax from the tension that he had lived with for the last several months as knowledge about Ichigo remained elusive, couldn't resist a parting shot as he strode from the room to continue his research and work.

"Of course, knowing Ichigo-kun, the kids will be calling you Grandpa Goatface."

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It had taken months to get to this point. Months of carefully gathering information, and laying out the groundwork, but they were finally ready to send a small, select band of individuals into Hueco Mundo to find and rescue Ichigo Kurosaki. The group was small to hopefully keep it below the radar of those keeping watch at Las Noches and had been carefully selected after much discussion and arguements. It included a grand total of nine people. Three for the Visoreds, three for the Shinigami, and three of Ichigo's human friends who had spent the last several months training and proving that they knew what they were doing and would be able to keep up and assist the overall rescue effort without becoming a liability to the team.

It hadn't been expected to take as long as it did to get a final position for Ichigo, but something was stirring up the spirit particles that were freely occuring in the atmosphere of both the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, making it exceptionally difficult to get accurate readings. Those working in the 12th division were excited by that and had pulled one of their members off of Ichigo duty and had set her the task of trying to find where the center of the disturbance was at.

It was as Yamamoto himself was wishing success to those about to set off that the lower seat set to the task ran up and interupted the proceedings: out of breath, heavily flushed, and ignoring the gathered crowd, she began to speak.

"Sirs! Mayuri-Taicho and Urahara-san, I just found out that the disturbance is centered on the Soul King's Palace! It is an absolute hive of activity and has been stirring up the spirit particles _everywhere_!"

"Ah yeah...Sorry about that. Had some stuff to deal with, but don't worry! Everything should be settling down again quite soon and it will be better than before."

Everyone turned at the unknown voice and were met with the sight of a petite, lithe male running his fingers through already mussed-up dark hair as he looked at the ground by his shuffling feet. As he raised his gaze from the ground, those standing in front of him were treated to the sight of eyes the color of the finest emeralds.

"Turns out that I'm your King. Name's Harry."

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"Just chalk it up to my infamous luck."

As Harry looked about the area, he could see by the looks of incomprehension mixed with curiousity that he would have to expand that statement out a bit more if he was going to give an accurate answer to the question that the scary-looking Dumbledore look alike had asked. Completely dis-similar to if he had made the same statement in a room full of those you knew him best back in the wizarding world.

"I'm not going to tell you my entire life's story, since I'm more than sure that as soon as we leave this meeting that there will be a rush to either find paperwork on me, hack into a terminal and read the reports about the goings on in England over the last several decades, or for those lucky few Shinigami with contacts in the Reaper Department back where I came from, who will be harassing their contacts into submission for my life's story. I will say however that if something completely unrealistic can happen to anyone, no matter the implausibility or unlikelyhood, it will be me.

"For instance, why would I question how long my invisibility cloak has been passed down, father to son, in the Potter family when it was enough for me that it had been my father's. After knowing nothing about either him or my mum, I was just going to cherish the thing because it had been his. And what were the odds that the ring had been passed down in a similar fashion by the Peverell family to the Slytherin family and finally in the Gaunt family where the last member turned it into a soul vessel without knowing just what he was using. Which then ended up in the hands of my school's Headmaster who tried to use it, but in his haste forgot just _exactly_ what it was at that moment in time, so causing the curses laid on the ring to eventually kill him. But not before he was able to put into motion a means to get the ring into my hands at the moment that I would need it the most.

"And it was sheer, bloody impossible luck that saw such a chain of disarmings that control of the blasted Elder wand landed in my hands. The fact that I ended up having all three on my person at one time, and had used them all at least once while they were on my person, is the most convoluted and unlikely piece of luck ever.

"I had my cloak stuffed in my pocket as I made my way to the Headmaster's tomb with my friends. We, well I, was planning to place the Elder wand back in Dumbledore's tomb and never use it. I would live out my life and no one would ever take the wand from me and so it would never be a piece of contention ever again, since if I died without being beaten the power of the wand would be broken. However, I planned to use it just the one time before placing it away forever. My first wand had been broken beyond conventional repair during that year on the run and my thought was that the most powerful wand ever in existance might be able to cast a powerful enough _Reparo_ to save it.

"How was I supposed to know that the ring, the one that was supposed to have been dropped in the forest, had become tangled up in the threads from my tattered clothes and was on my person the first, and only, time that I planned to use the last of the Hallows that had come into my posession. I unsuspectingly cast my one, simple spell, then the next thing I know, I surrounded by these odd blokes proclaiming me their King and that I needed to desperately get my behind in gear to tour around and deal with the mess that these idiots in charge of one of the other branches of Reapers had made.

"It took me a bit to finally straighten things out back in England and the other European branches, but I finally got here, to the main branch where most overall policies arise from. And I'm sure that several of you will be able to figure out just how..._pleased_ I was to enter the King's Dimension once here, only to discover that the idiots in charge had taken it upon themselves to try and _appoint_ a Soul King. Which absolutely explains how the bloody balance between the worlds has unbalanced to the point that you morons don't know the purpose of Hueco Mundo.

"Since the King wasn't the correct one, one that was actually chosen by completing Death's challenges and mastering Death's posessions, he, well, deteriated, for lack of a better word. That set up a cycle that trickled down and began to affect everything. If there had been no interference by power-hungry meddlers seeking out more power and influence for themselves, everything would have been just fine the way it was. Hueco Mundo and the souls that became Hollows because they were too full of rage, hatred, and/or an inability to accept what happened to themselves would have been left properly balanced out by the Soul Society and the Shinigami, whose purpose is to escort and protect those souls who are ready to move on in the cycle of rebirth."

Harry threw his arms up into the air as his exasperation overwhelmed him. What was it with people interfering with things that they had no true knowledge or understanding of?

"And the reason that I stopped you from going off on your little "rescue mission" is because I need to be the one to retrieve Aizen's zanpakuto and deal with it. It's one that was never supposed to be in the hands of anyone other than the royal family as it is far, far too powerful and ancient a personality, but, like with everything else that has occured, it can be laid at the feet of that farce of a King."

"Now if you will all excuse me..."

Harry spun a quarter turn on his heel and disappeared with a pop, leaving behind a small strike force of accomplished Shinigami, the people there to see them off, and a large number of people that had heard about what was occuring and had shown up, trying to look inconspicous as they loitered about the area.

Urahara was the first to regain control over himself and turned with a smug grin, one that was quickly hidden behind his fan, to look at the head Captain.

"I told you so," Kisuke happily stated.

Yamamoto opened his eyes a bit and looked over towards one of the most troublesome Shinigami he had ever had the misfortune to deal with, before closing them again and giving a bit of a shrug.

"And if you'll remember, I never did disagree with any of the arguements that you put forth to prove that the spirit world was becoming unbalanced because of an imbalance at the top. I just said that there was nothing that I could do about it."

And with that, Yamamoto turned around and strode off, leaving behind a gaping Kisuke Urahara staring after him.

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sugegasa- also known as a coolie hat, paddy hat, rice hat, or sedge hat. Basically that straw hat that Shunsui wears.

**Disclaimer: **I own and make money from Harry Potter just about as much as I own and make money from Bleach. Which is to say, not at all. Although, maybe someday, if I'm really, really good, I'll own an awesome poster.

_Don't know if this counts as a cliffie, but it does hopefully let you know who the mystery man was. Thanks to all those who've been following along with the story, and especially to those who've taken the time to review. In the last chapter it was_

_SexyBVirgo, clobojojo, Theresa of the Faint Smile, inominatenoname, SakuraKoi, gundamzbd36, Nuriko Kurosaki, Firehedgehog, Mizuki 8D, guest, , _

_And just as a heads up, it's looking like the next chapter will be the end of this story. I was planning on two more chapters, but the writing seems to have decided for me. Do expect at least a bonus chapter or two over the course of the summer, as some of the story was left rather open to me and is vaguely nagging at me to write something to fill it up. What was going on with Szayel and Gin, for instance. It should make a nice break in thinking for me as I work on the Hp X LOTR crossover I've been trying to finish/work on._


	17. Chapter 15: the end

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own, or make money from, Bleach, or Harry Potter, or the Infernal Devices. Uber awesome Brownies to those that can identify the source for those items._

_This chapter was started at my old house two weeks ago, and finally finished at 1:00 am the morning I plan to publish it. Bed..._

* * *

Grimmjow snuggled in enthusiatically against his mate's flank as they rested together in the pile of cushions they had made in the recreation room. It had been a long last two months for his pregnancy, but, according to Szayel, he was ready to give birth any day now. And he couldn't wait. To finally be finished with the back pain, bad balance, ackward gait, and intense, overwhelming sexual desires...well maybe not those, but the rest could go and hang for all that Grimmjow wanted to continue on with them. Rocking his body slightly so that he could get a bit closer to his mate, Grimmjow was quickly reminded of another reason that Szayel thought that he would give birth in the next couple of days, and yet another reason that Grimmjow couldn't wait for this pregnancy to be over with, as a trickle of liquid leaked out of his extrememly loosened entrance as his body geared up and prepared itself to give birth.

Grimmjow was drawn from his inner contemplation by an irritated huff. Craning his neck around, Grimmjow smirked as he caught sight of an irritated Ichigo trying, and failing, to seat himself gracefully on the sofa nearest to where Grimmjow and Starrk were lounging in their nest. Grimmjow couldn't stop himself from snickering as Ichigo grabbed at his belly and scowled as he gave up and let himself drop down in an uncontrolled manner.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo said as he turned his scowl onto Grimmjow. "Laugh it up. Just because _you_ have a slave willing to do all of your bidding."

Starrk raised a hand at this and lazily waved it in Ichigo's general direction before dropping it back down and wrapping it around Grimmjow's shoulders again.

"So where's Zangetsu? Haven't seen ya without him since he was finally found after Aizen was taken," Grimmjow asked once he had himself under control.

"I finally let Szayel have a chance to study Zangetsu like he's been whining at me for since he was found. Zangetsu and I have spent the last two months catching up and re-bonding to each other. Me actually melding fully with my inner hollow opened up several new attacks and since I didn't have Zangetsu at the beginning of the pregnancy when I could still physically train with him, he's been pulling me into my inner world and training me there, where he can make sure that I don't cause any injury to the cubs. According to him, we've gone as far in training that way as we can and now have to wait for me to give birth to finish up."

"Of course, I have no idea when that will be any more since my due date has been pushed back since the other supplier of reiatsu to my cubs has vanished and left me to support them fully by myself," Ichigo finished ruefully as he gently rubbed circles on his extended abdomin.

"The cubs are still fine though, are they not?" Starrk queried without opening his eyes.

"Yeah. Szayel says that everything is still going alright, just that it's all slowed down with only myself to offer the cubs support," Ichigo sighed. "It's just...I wish...Damnit, this sucks. I want the bastard back, but I don't, and I just don't know what to do?! Szayel says that if Aizen were dead, my instincts would kick in and make me seek out a new mate in support of the cubs I'm already carrying, but I don't _want_ a new mate, I want Aizen. Which means that he's still alive, so why hasn't he come back yet!? And why hasn't Gin heard back from the Soul Society? He sent them a nice message along with the gift of that traitor Kaname Tosen. Well, he said that it was a nice message, but I-"

*BANG*

"Because the Soul Society was in a massive period of up-heavel as the new King laid down his rules and cleaned house."

The three men jumped and turned to look at door as it was slammed open to frame Kisuke Urahara as he spoke and interrupted Ichigo.

"It's just now that we were finally able to send a delegation to meet up with the survivors of Las Noches. The King does personally send his deepest apologies to you Ichigo, though. He is firmly in support of never allowing children to grow up without their parents and is working on getting Aizen back to you, but it's taking him a bit longer than he thought to clean out Aizen's mind from the influence of one of the Zanpakutos from the King's personal armory. Apparently, when the Central Council decided to pursue a policy of electing a King to the throne over the course of millenia, it weakened the seals around the armory and eventually allowed several swords that are referred to as Infernal Devices, to escape and form a soul bound with several future Shinigami. Muramasa and Koga Kuchiki were another confirmed pair. Apparently the Devices have to be an absolutely _perfect_ match-up and are supposed to be decided upon, and bestowed by, the King," Urahara continued speaking as he leisurely made his way into the room and took a seat on the other end of the couch from Ichigo.

"Wow Ichigo, you've really let yourself go," Urahara said as he eyed the Visored, before snapping open his fan and covering his face. "Is the food really that great here?"

"Oh ha ha. You're a laugh riot," Ichigo sarcastically said as the comments jolted him out of his information overload. "So what are you doing here? If the new King, and you'll have to tell us about that, sent a delegation from the Soul Society, why would you be apart of it? Weren't you exiled?"

"Well," Urahara snapped his fan closed, "He's also _very_ against people recieving a rushed and biased trial. Says he's known too many innocents who've been rail-roaded by the system to allow that to happen under his watch and so, when it came to light that the only evidence in my trial was the word of an unseated Shinigami and Aizen, he personally reveiwed the case then tore the newly re-formed Court apart for a "gross mis-carriage of justice". Completely ignoring that it was a different group of people who had done the sentencing back then; although, the current Court _is_ made up of their relatives. Anyway, it was a truly beautiful thing to watch. And the new King's name is Harry Potter. It seems that Death itself had sent out into the world three objects that would be used to select the King and had everything set up to run just fine and dandy until they finally did their thing, which it was, until a bunch of greedy, power-hungry morons got involved. I swear, at the end of the world, there'll be an idiot standing there saying that he was appointed by a "select" commitee to press that red button."

"Oh yeah," Urahara leaned foward. "I also brought a few people, above and beyond those needed for the terribly exacting mission of making contact and verifying information, blah blah blah, etc. You had several people that were missing you rather severly and were rather desperate to find you, ever since you up and vanished."

That was the only warning Ichigo recieved before the doors were slammed opened again and he suddenly found himself blocking a foot to his head.

"MY SON! EXCELLENT REFLEXES AS ALWAYS!"

"What the hell Goat-Face! You could have injured the cubs!" Ichigo hollared back at his crazy father while he wrapped protective arms around his waistline, before realization set in that his father wasn't supposed to be in Las Noches.

"Seriously, what the hell? How are you even here? We're all souls, in some form or other."

"Well, heh...Funny thing that," Isshin said as he rubbed at the back of his head. Opening his mouth to continue speaking, Isshin was abruptly shoved to the floor and trampled by a rapidly moving blond blur that quickly attached itself to Ichigo's stomach. Looking down in shock at the unexpected touch, Ichigo was stunned to see Shinji caressing and kissing his stomach in between random mutterings.

Listening closely, Ichigo was able to make out a few bits about how thankful Shinji was to find Ichigo alive and healthy, and that Shinji would rather teach Renji to have perfect Kido technique then go back to being the liason, whatever that meant. Ichigo was positive that there was probably going to be quite the story there and couldn't wait to hear it from Shinji. And then hear it again in a lot more accuaracy from Hiyori.

Ichigo began to laugh. It started out as a small snicker, but quickly grew into almost overwhelming proportions as the door was flung open again and the room rapidly filled with a loud, chattering mix of current and former Shinigami, Espada and Numeros and Priverons as well as their Fraccion, along with several of Ichigo's friends from the living world including a bright and bubbly Orihime who was trailed by a silent Ulquiorra as had become normal for the Los Noches inhabitants to see.

Waving a hand in dismissal at the alarmed looks he was being given, Ichigo focussed on his breathing and gradually got himself back under control.

"I'm fine," Ichigo said with a small smile still pulling at his lips. "Maybe next time you all come to rescue me, it could be done with a _few_ less people. Not that I'm not glad to see all of you, because I am. It's just a _bit_ overwhelming is all. And that much shock probably isn't good for a pregnant person anyway. Thank Kami that I'm not due for a while now."

"Yeah, but _I_ am," Grimmjow groaned as he used his hands to tightly hold his expanded waistline.

It was easy for anyone nearby to see the clothed flesh under his hands quiver and tighten. It was also easy to see the look of absolute panic on Starrk's face as his normally sleepy expression was completely wiped away. Suddenly, eveyone in the room began to bustle and scurry about. Several people coming foward and helping raise Grimmjow from his temporary nest while others assisted the seemingly panicking Starrk, who had frozen up in shock and did whatever his helpers demanded of him.

"Quick! Get him to the infirmary!"

"No! Take him to his nest!"

"Someone call Unohana-Taicho!"

"Damn it! I'm a doctor, I know what to do!"

"Everybody follow me! I'm his current healer."

And just like that, Ichigo found himself alone in the room as everyone rushed out as they followed Szayel's orders. Grumbling to himself and wishing that someone might have stayed behind to give him a helping hand, Ichigo began the troublesome process that was also known as rising from a seated position. Leaning back against the chair, Ichigo shimmied his hips and butt foward. He then leaned foward and took a secure grip on the only arm of the sofa near him. Hopefully it would be enough to lever himself up with.

Just as he was getting ready to make his first attempt, his vision was filled with a large, very familiar looking hand. Raising his head and looking up, Ichigo could feel his eyes burn as they filled with liquid upon meeting warm, dark-chocolate hued eyes looking down at him.

"Love...''

* * *

_Well, there we are. I could have gone on to detail the birth of both Grimm and Ichi, but the story seemed to find a natural ending here. I just love the mental imagery of the two of them, together, alone, at last._

_Thanks to all of those who've followed right along, both with the story and with the PITA that was moving. I'm so grateful to all of you, especially when you take a moment or two to drop me a line by reviewing. It always, always, inspires me to keep going, especially when the fun of a _new_ story is gone and all that's left is the grind of filler chapters from A to Z. _


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